September 18, 2012
JAMA Launches Its 2012 Autumn Road Safety Campaign
The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association will be conducting its annual autumn road safety campaign from September 21 to October 31 this year. The JAMA campaign’s launch date coincides with that of the Japanese government’s own national Autumn Traffic Safety Campaign (September 21-30) conducted by the National Police Agency.
In 2011 there were 4,612 road fatalities in Japan, marking the eleventh consecutive annual decline in such fatalities and representing a drop of 72.5% compared to their record level of 16,765, in 1970. Road accidents and injuries, which peaked in 2004, fell for the seventh straight year. Despite these declines, road fatalities, accidents and injuries remain excessively high. In response, the Japanese government aims to reduce the total annual road fatality rate to fewer than 2,500 by 2018, in its effort to make Japan’s roads the safest in the world.
JAMA also views increased road safety as a matter of the most urgent concern and fully supports the government’s goals in this regard. JAMA’s own initiatives in support of those goals comprise not only the promotion of vehicle-based measures but also various road user-directed measures, including the twice-yearly conduct of its road safety campaign in spring and autumn.
A major focus of this year’s campaign is the prevention of accidents involving the elderly, a demographic segment that now accounts for about 50% of Japan’s total road fatalities. As the first initiative of its kind, JAMA is partnering with Ibaraki Prefecture’s Traffic Control Council in a regional-based alliance to carry out optimally effective road safety information campaigns and related programs.
