Tokyo

The Japanese government plans to subsidize purchases of cars furnished with safety functions for those aged 65 or over as part of steps to reduce traffic accidents involving vehicles driven by elderly people, it was learned Wednesday.

Up to 100,000 yen will be provided per new vehicle equipped with an automatic braking system or a function to curb acceleration when the gas pedal is mistakenly hit for the brake pedal, informed sources said.

The subsidy amount will be 70,000 yen for minivehicles, with an engine displacement of up to 660 cc, and 100,000 yen for larger cars, the sources said. Luxury vehicles will unlikely be covered by the subsidy program.

The government will include the program in an economic stimulus package planned to be drawn up late next month, hoping to earmark necessary funds under a supplementary budget for fiscal 2019, which ends next March, and its full budget for fiscal 2020, the sources said.

According to the government, the number of fatal traffic accidents caused by vehicles driven by people aged 75 or over is more than that of accidents triggered by younger drivers.

The proportion of driver's license holders aged 75 or over in the overall holders has been increasing year after year in line with the aging of society.

[Jiji Press]