60,000 elderly drivers in Japan suspected of having dementia: police

Suspected. Hope the confirmation of whether or not comes the right way, if you know what I mean. Enough people have died, no?

Instead of banning these people from driving, they should be creating alternatives for them so they are not so dependent on driving.

I experience a deterioration in my cognitive function on Friday and Saturday evenings but I don't drive then

Driving is a prilledge, not a basic human right. No government should be required to create alternatives for people who can no longer do something THEY want to do. Some of you people want this utopia where all your hopes and dreams are catered for 24/7.

Each and every one of them should have their license revoked immediately. How many of these will go on to kill people?

Japan needs to wake up to this threat

My renewal for my Japanese driving license came up in March 2018, and with no health problems I decided not to renew. I got my first driving license at 17 years old and have had my license for 54 years, also I had a class 1 addition for driving articulated vehicles. I have driven everything from a milk float to a 40 ton truck. The reason was simple, what if I was involved in an accident , even if it wasn't my fault , can you imagine the outcry, age related, dementia , plus being a gaijin. So now I just enjoy my trusty bike, with the wind in my hair,(not much of that , hair I mean) the rain on my face, the suns rays on my skin, and do I regret giving up my driving license, why hell no.

Nice Minello

I'm not at your age, but I haven't driven in... seven or eight years now. My wife drives, and I alternate between my bike, public transit, and taxis, and it's great. When you have a car, it becomes a shell, a barrier between you and the outside world. When you ditch the car, you are out in the world and get to interact with it first-hand, for all its good and bad.

More like 600,000.

I bet all the drivers with dementia all live in Okinawa. That would explain the horrific driving I see there.

Separately, the number of people feared to be experiencing a deterioration in their cognitive functions but who were not required to have a medical examination totaled 553,810

Rather worrying

And now, let's hear some horror stories about the young kids driving at high speeds, zigzagging in and out of traffic, running red lights, thinking they are the worlds greatest race car drivers.

If they can diagnose so many people with dimentia when they are applying for a license renewal, why are they not previously diagnosed by their regular doctor? People in Japan take health checks annually, which are paid for by the local city government. It’s unlikely all these people skipped their free health check, so why is it only when they apply for a license their illness becomes apparent?

There should be a mandatory age limit on drivers. Lives are at risk for the sake of political correctness. There are age limits for certain occupations like flying, why not driving in general?

This is one thing that scares me about when I move to Japan, but I think drivers in NYC are still way worse lol

Don't judge people by their age, testing people is fine enough. Ageism in an aging society doesn't make any sense

I bet all the drivers with dementia all live in Okinawa. That would explain the horrific driving I see there

Yup, it's all the わ and れ idiot drivers who come here from somewhere else!

Don't judge people by their age, testing people is fine enough. Ageism in an aging society doesn't make any sense

It is a proven fact that reflexive abilities lessen greatly as one gets older. And as a group there is additional proof as well, here in Japan, that the elderly ARE in fact the largest group responsible for countless numbers of totally preventable accidents.

It isn't "ageism" it's common sense.

Driving is a prilledge, not a basic human right. No government should be required to create alternatives for people who can no longer do something THEY want to do. Some of you people want this utopia where all your hopes and dreams are catered for 24/7.

Who is suggesting this? 24/7...No one, and it's not all black and white either. The government does in fact have a responsibility for the safety of the people, and here in Japan the social welfare system IS in fact set up to assist, when it works correctly, everyone.

When you live in a society that does not provide adequate, or any for that matter, public transportation, then the government most certainly does have the responsibility to provide alternatives. That's what we pay taxes for!

Many of the elderly drivers who are keeping their licenses, do so, BECAUSE they have no alternatives. They need to drive to support their lives, food shopping, hospital visits, etc etc etc. Without the mobility of having a vehicle they no longer can provide for themselves, and many do not have the money to afford over-priced taxis. If you come down here to Okinawa, public transportation is expensive as hell too!

Local governments do in fact need to get involved to alleviate this problem!

In other news 60,000,000 million non elders drivers were found simply be terrible drivers igorong red lights, not using indicators, texting while driving, installing TVs over the steering wheel, having their children stand up in the car, and not know what "right of way" means.

@oldman_13 - There should be a mandatory age limit on drivers.

Oh really? And, who is going to decide that limit? You? What age would you recommend? 50, 60, 70, 80? A large percentage of truck and taxi drivers in Japan are in their 70’s. Setting a blanket ban on driving at a certain age is absolutely ridiculous. Elderly drivers account for less than 10% of fatal accidents in Japan. Furthermore, most elderly drivers are far more experienced and cautious than younger drivers. The problem is not their age. The problem is their lack of cognitive function and reflexes, plus mental illness. The solution is more stringent testing of elderly drivers.

I gave up my car to my ex and have been free ever since. Saved a lot of money as well.

I bet all the drivers with dementia all live in Okinawa. That would explain the horrific driving I see there.

Ill see your Okinawa and raise you Osaka. Absolutely the worst. Im sure some people from Osaka here can confirm.

I wish someone would tell people, young and old, that you are supposed to indicate before braking to turn. At least 90% of people don't.

Haven't heard of taxis? Buses?

Instead of banning these people from driving, they should be creating alternatives for them so they are not so dependent on driving.

Actually the numbers are a little lower when you realize that of the 57,000 suspected dementia drivers, 23,000 already lost their license. So maybe the suspects number 34,000, but that does not look so impressive as a headline.

Quote: “57,099 of them were suspected of having dementia. A total of 1,892 of them had their licenses suspended or nullified, up about three-fold from 597 in 2016. A further 16,115 meanwhile gave up their licenses, while 4,517 people stopped their renewal procedure and their licenses became null and void. Some 1,515 others are still in the middle of their renewal procedures, suggesting the number of suspensions and nullifications will grow.”