Photo/Illutration Transport ministry data shows that by 2022, 90 percent of new cars on sale had built-in safety features countering pedal misapplication. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The transport ministry as early as next June will require all new cars to be equipped with safety features that prevent accidents caused by drivers accidentally stepping on the wrong pedal, sources said.

Officials are now discussing revisions to an ordinance based on the Road Transport Vehicle Law to implement the new safety rule, the ministry sources told The Asahi Shimbun on June 27.

Japan has suggested performance standards of the safety devices at the United Nations’ World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29). Member countries are expected to approve the standards in a vote in November.

The transport ministry will discuss the specific time when the requirement to the new cars will take effect and other issues later.

Safety devices designed to counter pedal misapplication rely on sonars and cameras equipped on the front and back of a vehicle. Both are used to detect any obstacles when a car is stopped.

If a driver suddenly stomps on the gas when an obstacle is present, the device will counter the jackrabbit start by reducing engine output.

Cars equipped with this feature were first sold around 2012, according to the transport ministry. In 2018, 10 percent of cars had this technology, and by 2022, the ratio was 90 percent.

The National Police Agency analyzed fatal car accidents that occurred last year and found that drivers younger than 75 years old caused 1,673 accidents.

Of these accidents, 13, or 0.8 percent, were caused by drivers mistakenly accelerating.

Drivers aged 75 or older caused 348 fatal accidents, including 23, or 6.6 percent, caused by accidental acceleration.

To equip more cars with advanced safety features, the central and local governments have offered residents subsidies to buy vehicles installed with such technologies as anti-pedal misapplication or automatic braking.

Related News