Society

Road accidents in Japan fall to record low in April

May 16 (Japan Today) - Japanese police registered a record-low 20,805 road accidents nationwide in April, data showed Friday, reflecting a decline in vehicle traffic following government requests for people to stay at home due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The number of road accidents was down 11,827, or 36.2 percent, from a year earlier, marking the lowest figure since comparable monthly data became available in 1989, with all of Japan's 47 prefectures seeing reductions, according to the National Police Agency.

The number of deaths also decreased by 19.9 percent to 213, the lowest figure on record for April, while the number of injuries fell 37.7 percent to 24,587, the agency said.

By prefecture, Tokyo recorded the sharpest drop in accidents of 48.2 percent, followed by Gunma Prefecture at 47.7 percent. The number of deaths declined in 28 prefectures, remained static in five but rose in 14.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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