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Japan's traffic accident deaths drop to record low in 2020

Jan 05 (Japan Times) - The number of traffic accident fatalities in Japan fell to 2,839 in 2020, marking the lowest level since comparable data became available in 1948, a police survey showed Monday.

The number of fatalities dropped by 376, or 11.7%, from the previous year, renewing the record low for the fourth straight year and falling below 3,000 for the first time, according to the National Police Agency survey.

“Various factors are believed to be behind the fall in the number of fatalities, such as improvements in vehicle safety performance and stronger crackdowns on traffic violations,” an NPA official said.

The agency will analyze the effects of the novel coronavirus epidemic on traffic accident fatalities, the official added.

Traffic accident deaths dropped in 36 of the country’s 47 prefectures.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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