April 25, 2017

Launch of the 2017 JAMA/JAF/JTSA-Sponsored Safe Driving Training & Senior Drivers’ School Programs at 72 venues throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa providing hands-on safe driving training to help prevent traffic accidents

Beginning in May this year, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), in cooperation with the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and the Japan Traffic Safety Association (JTSA) and with the support of the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Prefectural Police Headquarters, and Prefectural Traffic Safety Associations, will be conducting safe driving training sessions as well as a “senior drivers’ school" program, for drivers aged 50 and older, at 72 venues throughout Japan. JAMA wants to contribute to the fulfillment of the Japanese government’s pledge of making Japan’s roads the safest in the world, and these driver education programs are one channel by which it is actively promoting safe driving and the prevention of road accidents.

  • The JAMA/JAF/JTSA Safe Driving Training Program (details in Attachment 1):
    • Safe driving training is directed at people who have held a Class 1 license for over one year and focuses on basic but critical driving procedures, including “driving, turning, and stopping” and "looking, deciding, and driving," through actual vehicle operation by the program participants. First launched in 1991, this training program drew 700 participants last year, bringing the cumulative total number of “trainees” to over 13,500.
    • The program also includes hands-on safe driving practice in straight driving, slalom driving, braking, and hazard avoidance, as well as practice in driving advanced safety vehicles (ASVs).
    • The ASVs that will be driven by program participants are equipped with collision-mitigation braking (also called automatic braking) systems and devices that prevent acceleration when drivers mistakenly depress the accelator pedal rather than the brake pedal.
    • The 2017 program starts on Saturday, May 20, in Shizuoka and Kagawa, and continues to December, ending in Saga. Program sessions will be held sequentially in 32 venues throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
  • The JAMA/JAF/JTSA Senior Drivers’ School Program (details in Attachment 2):
    • Targeting drivers aged 50 and older, the Senior Drivers’ School Program takes into account aging-related physical changes and their potential impacts on driving skills. Its aim is to provide older drivers with the opportunity to assess their own driving skills and to refresh their knowledge of safe driving procedures. First launched in 1996, this program drew 612 participants last year, bringing the cumulative total number of participants to over 8,000.
    • The program starts with basic driving operations and includes a sudden braking experience involving traffic signals; methods ensuring safe right turns at intersections; and methods for passing safely through intersections where visibility is poor. Effective in promoting accident prevention among older drivers, the program also offers a Q&A session with the instructors following the practical hands-on session, to maximize its educational content.
    • As in the Safe Driving Training Program, participants will drive advanced safety vehicles to gain experience with collision-mitigation braking (or “automatic braking”) systems and with devices that prevent acceleration when drivers mistakenly depress the accelator pedal rather than the brake pedal, both of which help prevent the occurrence of the kinds of accidents that are commonly caused by older drivers.
    • The 2017 program starts on Saturday, May 13, in Kyoto, and continues through March 18, 2018 (near the end of Japan’s fiscal year), finishing up in Chiba. Program sessions will be held sequentially in 40 venues throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu.
  • Details concerning these programs (dates, times, venues, etc.) are also available on the Web site of the Japan Automobile Federation, at
    http://www.jaf.or.jp/eco-safety/safety/safetytraining/index.htm
    (for the Safe Driving Training Program); and at
    http://www.jaf.or.jp/eco-safety/safety/senior/index.htm
    (for the Senior Drivers’ School Program).

Attachments:
Attachment 1 2017 JAMA/JAF/JTSA Safety Training
Attachment 2 2017 JAMA/JAF/JTSA Senior Driver's School

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