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On June 18, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a Ministerial Council on Traffic Safety Policy in Response to Recent Traffic Accidents, at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
At the meeting, a discussion was held on the draft Emergency Traffic Safety Measures for Preschoolers and Other Children as well as Elderly Drivers.
 
Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
“In response to the recent tragic traffic accidents that have occurred successively, we have now compiled a set of emergency measures for traffic safety under the leadership of Minister Miyakoshi.
 
Firstly, there is not a moment to lose when it comes to the safety of the routes that groups of children, in particular preschoolers, use daily. In response to a series of accidents, including the one in Otsu City, we intend to commence emergency safety inspections on those routes immediately, through the cooperation among kindergartens and nurseries, road administrators, the police, and other relevant stakeholders, in addition to various measures that each relevant ministry and agency has been implementing so far. Following them, we will materialize concrete measures to develop a safe and secure pedestrian space, such as the installment of guardrails and the establishment of kids zones, as well as the improvement of community-based neighborhood watch activities.
 
Secondly, with regard to measures related to elderly drivers, we will implement relevant measures, while incorporating newly developed technologies when necessary. To begin with, we will accelerate the penetration into society of safe driving support vehicles, which are effective in preventing traffic accidents and reducing damage, while taking into account the introduction of a restricted drivers’ license system. In addition, we will boldly implement measures to materialize a society in which the elderly can live their lives without depending on cars, such as the improvement of the user environment of public transportation, the diversification of local transportation services through collaboration beyond existing frameworks, and the utilization of new forms of mobility incorporating autonomous driving.
 
Against the backdrop of the strong calls to address the issues of an aging society appropriately and materialize a society that supports childrearing, traffic safety measures which meet the demands of the times are needed more than ever. I ask you to work on these pressing issues swiftly, with the Government working as one.”