ITARDA INFOMATION

First, maintenance-related auto accidents were analyzed from two standpoints:
those in which "inadequate maintenance" was indicated as the primary legal offense (against the Road Traffic Act) that led to the accident, and those in which poor maintenance was pointed out as a contributing factor on the part of the vehicle, whether or not it was against the law. Unless otherwise specified, drivers of cars and other motor vehicles were the "primary party" in all accidents analyzed.

1. Legal Offenses In All Traffic Accidents

  1) Number of accidents in which cars, etc. (including mopeds) were the primary party* by type of legal offense
  (In Table 1, items that increased 30% or more from 1994 to 2004 are marked with pink, and those that decreased 30% or more during the same period, with blue.)

  In 2004, accidents in which cars, etc. were the primary party numbered approximately 900,000, up about 30% from 690,000 in 1994. Of the driving offenses involved, neglecting the safety check took up the largest portion, around 30%. Looking at the trends of the past 11 years, violation of safe driving requirements has generally been on the rise, especially the failure to remain alert to the movement of other vehicles and pedestrians. On the other hand, obstruction of the right of way and speeding decreased drastically. Drunk driving and prohibited overtaking also showed a remarkable decline.

  * "Primary party" refers to the party who was more at fault than others in a traffic accident. If parties were equally negligent, the one least injured is the primary party.

Table 1 Shift in the Number of Traffic Accidents by Type of Offense (1994-2004)

Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA)