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Record-low 2,626 traffic-related deaths reported in Japan in 2021

Jan 05 (Japan Today) - The National Police Agency (NPA) said in a report released Tuesday that the number of fatalities from traffic accidents in Japan in 20121 was 2,636.

This is a decrease of 203 deaths from 2020. It’s also the lowest number since 1948, when officials began compiling statistical data.

The NPA attributed the decrease in traffic fatalities to improvements in vehicle safety technology and increased awareness of safe driving after a series of car accidents caused by elderly drivers.

According to the preliminary figures, the number of traffic accidents in 2021 amounted to 305,425, which was a decrease of 3,753 incidents from the previous year. The number of injured people was 361,768, down 7,708 people from 2020.

The report said people aged 65 and over accounted for 57.7% of the total number of fatalities.

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