Citation

Kimura M. Proc. Am. Assoc. Automot. Med. Annu. Conf. 1978; 22(1): 21-35.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1978, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Tokyo is a mammoth city with a population of 11,675,000. The number of automobiles possessed in this city has increased tremendously in the past years and at this time the number reaches as high as 2,741,500. In relation to this, the number of deaths and injuries resulting from traffic accidents in 1976 were 350 and 42,284 respectively. In the past ten years, the population of Tokyo has remained fairly stable, whereas the number of cars in this city has increased approximately 1.7 times (on the national level, 3.3 times). Nevertheless, traffic accident victims, whose number was at the peak in 1964 has started to decrease since then. This phenomenon is due to the Traffic Safety Law constituted in 1970. With this law, the following measures were put into action:
1. rapid progress in the enforcement of safety facilities such as sidewalks, traffic signals, traffic signs, etc.;
2. a drive towards effective traffic regulations;
3. improvement of the safety measures of automobiles;
4. stress on traffic control;
5. establishment of a functioning emergency system; and
6. promotion of safety education among citizens.

The speaker will discuss the status quo of traffic in Tokyo and the problems and the counter-measures to be considered in the future. The discussion will be aided by tables showing figures of the following items: a) the relationship between the outbreak of traffic accidents and the increase of automobiles; b) patterns of traffic accidents; c) analysis of traffic accidents; d) traffic accidents involving children; e) the emergency system; and f) problems and their counter-measures.