Japan encourages elderly drivers off their roads… with FUNERAL discounts
Japanese authorities have introduced a bizarre incentive for elderly motorists who surrender their drivers license.
IT IS a problem that is all too common on the roads in virtually every major city in the world - elderly motorists with deteriorating driving ability that, for the safety of themselves and others, should no longer be behind the wheel.
And it is the stubbornness of these Mr and Mrs Magoo drivers in remaining on the road that so often leads to crashes, near misses, and in tragic cases, deaths.
In Japan, the problem has reached near breaking point, causing authorities to implement a new incentive scheme in an attempt to lure older drivers off the roads.
As part of the initiative, elderly drivers that surrender their licenses to police will receive a discount on funeral costs for themselves or their family.
Teaming up with police in the Aichi prefecture, Heiankaku Co funeral company have offered a 15 per cent price cut for those with documentary proof they have handed their license in.
It is the second initiative in the area in recent months, with a restaurant chain offering discounted ramen bowls for those with the same documentation last November.
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According to Japan’s National Police Agency, there were almost 4.8 million licence holders in the country over the age of 74 - twice as many as a decade earlier.
In that 10-year period, Japan also saw a dramatic increase in the number of fatal collisions involving elderly drivers.
The same demographic was responsible for one in every eight fatal accidents in 2015, a total of 458.
This made them two and-a-half times more likely to cause a fatal accident than young drivers.
Particularly worrying is Japan's high dementia rate, and the massive impact it could have on road safety as incidence numbers continue to increase.
Currently, 25 per cent of the Japanese population are over 65, with an estimated 15 per cent of this group suffering from some form of dementia.