Japan requires anti-mistake accelerator technology for new cars

The new regulation is aimed at reducing traffic accidents, often caused by elderly drivers, amid the country's rapidly aging population.

Japanese elderly driving

The Japanese government will require all new cars equipped with automatic transmissions to have technology that prevents drivers from mistakenly pressing the brake pedal instead of the accelerator.

The new regulation is aimed at reducing traffic accidents, often caused by elderly drivers, amid Japan's rapidly aging population, according to the Transport Ministry. It is also in line with United Nations standards and is expected to take effect in June next year.

Japanese Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito said that the country has proposed to make the application of the above technology an international standard from 2022.

The technology works by limiting the vehicle's speed. If the driver mistakenly presses the accelerator pedal within 1 to 1.5 meters of a large object, the vehicle will automatically stop before hitting it or slow down to below 8 km/h if a collision is unavoidable. At the same time, the in-car display will also display a "Release the accelerator" warning when the system is activated.

Japan's Transport Ministry will revise the current regulations after the United Nations officially agrees on new regulations in November this year.

Accordingly, automakers will have to equip this technology for all new car models first, then apply it to existing car models.

Manual transmission vehicles are exempted from the new regulations because, according to the Ministry of Transport, this type of vehicle rarely has accidents due to mistakenly pressing the brake pedal instead of the accelerator pedal.

According to statistics from the Japan Traffic Accident Data Analysis and Research Institute, in 2023, there were 3,110 accidents caused by drivers mistakenly pressing the brake pedal instead of the accelerator pedal, killing 38 people and injuring 4,343.

LAM DIEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nhat-ban-yeu-cau-ap-dung-cong-nghe-chong-dap-nham-chan-ga-doi-voi-o-to-moi-post748160.html