TOKYO, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday issued orders to better improve road safety conditions for preschool-aged children in the wake of a number of high-profile fatal traffic accidents recently.
Abe instructed his relevant ministers, including Mitsuhiro Miyakoshi, minister in charge of traffic safety, to compile plans to better protect the lives of children when they are commuting on foot to school.
"In order to protect the lives of children who will be responsible for the next generation, I'd like you to swiftly compile measures ensuring safety of routes that groups of children take on a daily basis," Abe said.
His instruction were made to the heads of education and welfare ministries and police officials, with the Japanese leader also calling for technology to be incorporated into vehicles to enhance the safety of vehicles, especially those being driven by the elderly, such as automatic braking.
As well as revising the laws regarding cognitive tests for elderly drivers, the government here said this month that it is planning to reduce the number of people with dementia by setting quantifiable targets to lower the ratio of patients in their 70s, over a six-year period until 2025.
The government has estimated that number of dementia sufferers will increase to between 7 million to 8 million people, or 6 percent to 7 percent of the total population, by 2030.
The rising number of elderly dementia patients correlates with the rise in traffic accidents caused by the elderly, the National Police Agency has said.
"Heartbreaking accidents have continuously occurred although measures have been taken," Abe said Tuesday, with reference to stricter cognitive tests for senior citizens who wish to continue driving.
