(1) Driving operation error accidents are common in young drivers of 24 years or under andelderly drivers of 75 years or over.
(2) Steering error is more common when driving on curves and at high speeds.
Also, it is more prevalent in young drivers of 24 years or under with the travel purpose ofdriving and during the time slot of midnight to early morning hours.
(3) Pedal misapplication is more often committed by elderly drivers of 75 years or overduring starting up or reversing the vehicle at parling lots, etc.
(4) Braking error is more prevalent on snow-covered roads and icy roads, regardless of theage group.
(5) In-depth study indicates that many of the drivers who committed driving operation errors
were engaged in absent-minded driving, thereby unable to judge and foresee dangers atcurved roads and intersections properly, causing them to fluster and turn panicky on an
unexpected event.

FAX 03-5577-3980

公益法人として設立されました。
その後平成２４年（２０１２年）
４月に公益財団法人に移行しました。我が国で唯一
道 路 交 通 法の定める「 交 通 事 故 調 査 分 析 センター 」の 指 定を国 家 公 安 委 員 会 から受けた 調 査 研 究 機 関であり、 交通事故の防止と被害の軽減 のための 交 通 事 故の調 査 分 析を行っています。

公益財団法人 交通事故総合分析センター〒101-0064 東京都千代田区猿楽町2-7-8 住友水道橋ビル8階
TEL 03-5577-3977(代表) FAX 03-5577-3980●E メール koho@itarda.or.jp

268

住 友 水 道 橋 ビル８ 階

TEL 03-5577-3973

当センターは、平成４年（１９９２年）に国家公安委員会、運輸省（当時）、建設省（当時）から設立許可を受けて、●ウェブサイト http://www.itarda.or.jp/

交通事故分析レポート No.107lSpeciafeaturePreventing driving operation errors~Driving operation error accidents are common in young and elderly drivers~

10

Rate of driving operation
error accidents (%)(Masahide Honda)

公益財団法人 交通事故総合分析センター〒101 0064 東 京 都 千 代 田 区 猿 楽 町 ２ ７ ８(1) Always drive at a speed conducive with the traffic conditions and keep safe distancefrom other vehicles so that you can deal with an unexpected event. This will ensure thatyou do not fluster and turn panicky, thus preventing driving operation error accidents.
(2) It is not necessary that the traffic condition will remain the same at all times. Even on
familiar roads, do not resort to absent-minded driving and always drive taking into
account the traffic and road surface conditions. Ensure cautious driving particularly on
unfamiliar roads.
(3) Young drivers are less experienced and do not have sufficient driving skills. Do not be
over-confident and engage in overspeeding and unreasonable overtaking.
(4) Elderly drivers have grown weaker in their physical abilities and are not able to operate
the vehicle in response to sudden change in traffic conditions. Take your time whenstarting and reversing the vehicle especially at parking lots while properly checking thepositions of pedals and gear lever, so as not to end up committing pedal misapplication.

渉外事業課

ITARDA INFORMATION

No.107■How to prevent driving operation error accidents

イタルダインフォメーションに関するお問い合せ先ITARDA INFORMATION■Characteristics of driving operation error accidents

交通事故分析レポート

6 Conclusion

イタルダ インフォメーション

8

6

1.8

2.9

2.9

2.9

2.1

0.7
1.2

0.6
1.0

0.7
1.0

0.9
1.0

1.2

1.9

24 or under

25〜34

35〜44

45〜54

55〜64

65〜74

75 or over

3.1

1.6

Other operation errors

2.5

1.7

1.2

0

1.8

1.7

3.5

4

2

2.3

2.2

2.8

Braking error
Pedal misapplication

3.1

Steering error

1.6

Rate of driving operation error accidents by age group (2004-2013)

1 Introduction・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ P2
The age groups that are likely to cause

2 driving operation error accidents・・・・・・・・・・ P3
operation error can lead to
3 Driving
serious accidents・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・P4
Conditions that are likely to cause

4 driving operation error accidents・・・・・・・・・・ P4
factors leading
5 Humanto driving operation error accidents・
・
・
・
・
・
・P6

6 Conclusion・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・P8
This issue is a revision of our previous edition of ITARDA
Information No.86 “Preventing driving operation errors,”
with a few data corrections and update of statisticalinformation on accidents. The error in the previous issue
and its correction is shown on the table on the right. We
apologize for the same.

つくば 交通事故調査事務所

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

刷色：DIC638

Percentage of driver fatalities in driving operation
error accidents (Front page graph)
Pedal misapplication
Steering error
Braking error(Error)
3.44%
0.05%
0.17%

(Correct)
0.17%
3.44%
0.05%

l
SpeciafeaturePreventing driving operation errors~Driving operation error accidents are common in young and elderly drivers~

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

1 Introduction
Let us analyze the occurrence condition of accidents involving drivers of vehicles with four or more
wheels (excluding other type of motor vehicle and mini cars*1) categorized as primary parties*2 due totheir higher level of culpability, by the four types of driving operation errors, namely “steering error,”“pedal misapplication,” “braking error” and “other operation errors*3” based on the Road Traffic Accident
data for a 10-year period from 2004 to 2013.

■Changes in driving operation error accidents
Table 1 and Fig.1 show the changes in the number of driving operation error accidents for a period of ten
years, indicating the following trend:(1) The number of driving operation error accidents is showing a declining trend with 41,805 cases in
2013, a reduction of 16,046 cases from the year 2004.
(2) By type of driving operation error accidents, while “steering error” and “other operation errors” havecome down, the growth of “pedal misapplication” in recent years is flat; whereas “braking error” isshowing an upward trend.
(3) “Braking error” is consistently seen in all age groups accounting for about half of the driving operation
error accidents in 2013.
Table 1 Number of accidents by type of driving operation errors
Type of driving operation
error accidents(Cases)

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

All types

57,85160,552

56,61348,98347,18543,97744,25044,33543,29241,805Steering error

12,26011,654

10,619

9,087

8,208

7,711

7,423

6,757

6,434

5,940

Pedal misapplication

7,660

7,471

7,367

7,040

6,548

6,583

6,324

6,432

6,175

6,402

Braking error

22,90225,022

23,90519,994

19,70918,20418,922

19,84820,29920,117

Other operation errors

15,02916,405

14,722

12,862

12,72011,47911,581

11,298

10,384

9,346

All accidents causing
bodily injuries

839,343824,002784,086

734,394

676,138

654,207647,510618,693

597,045566,357

Note: Table 1 shows the total number of accidents involving the primary party of vehicles with four or more wheels (excluding other type of
motor vehicle and mini cars).

30,000

Number of accidents

20,000Braking error
Other operation errors
Steering error

15,000Pedal misapplication
10,000

5,000

0

4

3

2.7

2.7

2

1.8

1.8

1

0

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

(Year)

Fig.1 Changes in the number of driving operation error accidents
ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

2.9

1.8

1.2

1.5

1.0

0.9

1.7

1.1

1.1

1.0

1.0

Rate of driving operation
error accidents (%) ＝Number of driving operation
error accidents
×100
Number ofcasualty accidents
Braking error
Other operation errors
Steering error
Pedal misapplication

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

(Year)

The age groups that are likely to
2 cause driving operation error accidents
Fig.3 shows the trend in the rate of driving operation error accidents by age group.
Apparently, the rate has crossed 9% in the young drivers of 24 years or under and elderly drivers of 75
years or older, indicating that they are more likely to cause driving operation error accidents ascompared to the other age groups. By the type of driving operation error accidents, the following trend isvisible.
(1) Steering error is more common in young drivers of 24 years or under and elderly drivers of 75 years
or older.
(2) Elderly drivers of 75 years or older cause more accidents by pedal misapplication with 2-5 times therate of other age groups.
(3) Braking error is more persistent in the age group of 24 years or under and decline with the increasein age.
10

8

9.7

9.1

6

6.3

All types of driving
operation error accidents
Braking error

4

Other operation errors
Steering error

2

0
2004

3.6

Fig.2 Changes in the rate of driving operation error accidents (Year 2004-2013)

Rate of driving
operation error accidents (%)

Upward trend

25,000Rate of driving operation
error accidents (%)*1: Mini cars are motored vehicles with an engine displacement (rated output) of more than 20cc (0.25kW) and 50cc (0.6kW) or below. Vehicles with three or more
wheels with a wheel tread of over 500mm, vehicles with four or more wheels with wheel tread of 500mm or less possessing a cabin and vehicles with threewheels with wheel tread of 500mm or less with a cabin, fall under this segment.
*2: Primary party refers to the one bearing maximum culpability among the parties directly involved in a traffic accident. In case the culpability lies equally with theconcerned parties, it refers to the party that has sustained lesser bodily injuries.
*3: Other operation errors include gear misapplication, error in operating the automatic speed control device etc.

■Changes in the rate of driving operation error accidents in all casualty accidents
Fig.2 shows the change of casualty accidents by type of driving operation error. Steering error shows aslightly downward trend, whereas all other types of driving operation errors show a flat trend initially andan upward shift later. Although not shown in this figure, the rate of driving operation error accidents in allcasualty accidents has increased by 0.5 points from the year 2004 to 7.4% in 2013.

Pedal misapplication

24 or under

25〜34

35〜44

45〜54

55〜64

65〜74

75 or overFig.3 Rate of driving operation error accidents by age group (Year 2004-2013)
ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

lSpeciafeaturePreventing driving operation errors~Driving operation error accidents are common in young and elderly drivers~

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

1 Introduction
Let us analyze the occurrence condition of accidents involving drivers of vehicles with four or more
wheels (excluding other type of motor vehicle and mini cars*1) categorized as primary parties*2 due totheir higher level of culpability, by the four types of driving operation errors, namely “steering error,”“pedal misapplication,” “braking error” and “other operation errors*3” based on the Road Traffic Accident
data for a 10-year period from 2004 to 2013.

■Changes in driving operation error accidents
Table 1 and Fig.1 show the changes in the number of driving operation error accidents for a period of ten
years, indicating the following trend:(1) The number of driving operation error accidents is showing a declining trend with 41,805 cases in
2013, a reduction of 16,046 cases from the year 2004.
(2) By type of driving operation error accidents, while “steering error” and “other operation errors” havecome down, the growth of “pedal misapplication” in recent years is flat; whereas “braking error” isshowing an upward trend.
(3) “Braking error” is consistently seen in all age groups accounting for about half of the driving operation
error accidents in 2013.
Table 1 Number of accidents by type of driving operation errors
Type of driving operation
error accidents(Cases)

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

All types

57,85160,552

56,61348,98347,18543,97744,25044,33543,29241,805Steering error

12,26011,654

10,619

9,087

8,208

7,711

7,423

6,757

6,434

5,940

Pedal misapplication

7,660

7,471

7,367

7,040

6,548

6,583

6,324

6,432

6,175

6,402

Braking error

22,90225,022

23,90519,994

19,70918,20418,922

19,84820,29920,117

Other operation errors

15,02916,405

14,722

12,862

12,72011,47911,581

11,298

10,384

9,346

All accidents causing
bodily injuries

839,343824,002784,086

734,394

676,138

654,207647,510618,693

597,045566,357

Note: Table 1 shows the total number of accidents involving the primary party of vehicles with four or more wheels (excluding other type of
motor vehicle and mini cars).

30,000

Number of accidents

20,000Braking error
Other operation errors
Steering error

15,000Pedal misapplication
10,000

5,000

0

4

3

2.7

2.7

2

1.8

1.8

1

0

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

(Year)

Fig.1 Changes in the number of driving operation error accidents
ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

2.9

1.8

1.2

1.5

1.0

0.9

1.7

1.1

1.1

1.0

1.0

Rate of driving operation
error accidents (%) ＝Number of driving operation
error accidents
×100
Number ofcasualty accidents
Braking error
Other operation errors
Steering error
Pedal misapplication

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

(Year)

The age groups that are likely to
2 cause driving operation error accidents
Fig.3 shows the trend in the rate of driving operation error accidents by age group.
Apparently, the rate has crossed 9% in the young drivers of 24 years or under and elderly drivers of 75
years or older, indicating that they are more likely to cause driving operation error accidents ascompared to the other age groups. By the type of driving operation error accidents, the following trend isvisible.
(1) Steering error is more common in young drivers of 24 years or under and elderly drivers of 75 years
or older.
(2) Elderly drivers of 75 years or older cause more accidents by pedal misapplication with 2-5 times therate of other age groups.
(3) Braking error is more persistent in the age group of 24 years or under and decline with the increasein age.
10

8

9.7

9.1

6

6.3

All types of driving
operation error accidents
Braking error

4

Other operation errors
Steering error

2

0
2004

3.6

Fig.2 Changes in the rate of driving operation error accidents (Year 2004-2013)

Rate of driving
operation error accidents (%)

Upward trend

25,000Rate of driving operation
error accidents (%)*1: Mini cars are motored vehicles with an engine displacement (rated output) of more than 20cc (0.25kW) and 50cc (0.6kW) or below. Vehicles with three or more
wheels with a wheel tread of over 500mm, vehicles with four or more wheels with wheel tread of 500mm or less possessing a cabin and vehicles with threewheels with wheel tread of 500mm or less with a cabin, fall under this segment.
*2: Primary party refers to the one bearing maximum culpability among the parties directly involved in a traffic accident. In case the culpability lies equally with theconcerned parties, it refers to the party that has sustained lesser bodily injuries.
*3: Other operation errors include gear misapplication, error in operating the automatic speed control device etc.

■Changes in the rate of driving operation error accidents in all casualty accidents
Fig.2 shows the change of casualty accidents by type of driving operation error. Steering error shows aslightly downward trend, whereas all other types of driving operation errors show a flat trend initially andan upward shift later. Although not shown in this figure, the rate of driving operation error accidents in allcasualty accidents has increased by 0.5 points from the year 2004 to 7.4% in 2013.

Pedal misapplication

24 or under

25〜34

35〜44

45〜54

55〜64

65〜74

75 or overFig.3 Rate of driving operation error accidents by age group (Year 2004-2013)
ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

lSpeciafeaturePreventing driving operation errors~Driving operation error accidents are common in young and elderly drivers~

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

3 Driving operation errors can lead to serious accidents
Fatal accident rate (%) ＝Number of fatal accidents
Number of driving operation error accidents

×100
4.3

Steering error
0.5
0.1
1.1
0.6
0

1

2

3

4

5

Fatal accident rate (%)

Fig.4 Fatal accident rate of driving operation
error accidents (Year 2004-2013)〜20km/hSteering error〜40km/h

17.2％〜60km/h〜80km/h

36.0％

10.4％ 7.2％

0.5％
Pedal
misapplication

70.1％

24.5％

4.6％

0.3％
1.1％

Braking error

74.9％

17.5％

6.1％

0.4％
2.9％

Other operation
errors

62.1％

23.0％

10.5％

1.6％
1.2％

All casualty
accidents

61.3％

27.0％

9.9％

0.6％

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Single vehicle
Vehicle-vehicle: Others
Vehicle-vehicle:
Overtaking and passing
Vehicle-vehicle:
Head-on collision

Conditions that are likely to
4 cause driving operation error accidents

19.6
13.5

13.8

10

20

5.5
10.0
10.5
7.8
5.9
4.2
3.5
2.7
1.3
0.6
2.7
11.8
1.6
0.5

8.3
9.9
7.3
4.1
2.7
1.8
1.0
0.4
0.2
1.3
8.3
0.6
0.3
30

0

10

20

30

0

10

20

30

Fig.6 Rate of steering error accidents by type of accidents,
Danger Perception Speed and road type (Year 2004-2013)
Let us now study in what situations do the steering error accidents occur. Fig. 7 shows the rate ofsteering error accidents by trip purpose and by time slot. Although a gap is found in the rate similar toFig.6, the trend is similar for all groups with the rate being high in “driving”, “sight-seeing” and “visiting
home town” for trip purpose. On the other hand, the rate is low for “business”, “commuting to work or
school” and “shopping”, suggesting that steering error accidents occur more often on unfamiliar roads
rarely driven on.
By time slot, the rate is more when driving in the midnight to early morning hours, with the rate high foryoung drivers of 24 years or under as compared to other age groups. This may be due to their tendency
to over-speed when the traffic is less and to drive absent-mindedly paying less attention.
45〜54

24 or underBusiness

In what conditions are the driving operation error accidents likely to occur, let us find out. Figures 6 to 9
indicate the rates of driving operation error accidents in the number of accidents by survey items such astype of accident, road type, road condition etc. for each of the three age groups namely, young group of
24 years or under, middle-age group of 45 to 55 years and elderly group of 75 years or over.
Time slot■Steering error accidents
Fig. 6 shows the rate of steering error accidents by type of accidents, Danger Perception Speed androad type. Similar trends are visible in all three age groups, with "single vehicle accidents" and “head-on
collisions” being high for type of accidents. While the rate increases with the increase in the Danger
Perception Speed, when seen by road type, the rate is high for “non-intersection (curves).”
By age groups, the rate is high for young drivers of 24 years or under with 27.3% of single vehicle
accidents and 13.8% of accidents occurring on curves are due to steering error. By Danger Perception
Speed, the rate is high for young drivers of 24 years or under at speeds higher than 50km/h, whereas
the rate is high for elderly drivers of 75 years or over at speeds lower than 50km/h.

1.6

Rate of steering error accidents (%)

Trip Purpose

Fig.5 Danger Perception Speed by type of driving operation error accidents (Year 2004-2013)

18.0

17.6

11.8

0

75 or over

1.2
3.6

〜80km/h〜70km/h
7.6〜60km/h
3.9〜50km/h
2.5〜40km/h〜30km/h 1.5〜20km/h 0.6
10km/h or under 0.3
Non-intersection (straight)
2.4
Non-intersection (curves)
Near intersection 1.3
Intersection 0.7

100%

Percentage

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

27.3
3.1
6.9

About 47% ofsteering errors occur
at over 40km/h

81km/h〜

29.2％

Road type

Pedal
misapplication
Braking error
Other operation
errorsAll casualty
accidents

Type ofDanger Perception Speed
accident

Fig.4 shows the fatal accident rate by type of driving
operation error accidents.
Steering error occupies relatively higher fatal accident
rate of 4.3% as compared to the other types and is 7
times the rate for all casualty accidents which is at 0.6%,
indicating that steering error can lead to serious
accidents.
Also as evident from Fig.5, as opposed to the Danger
Perception Speed of 40km/h or less in more than 80% ofother driving operation error accidents and all casualty
accidents, nearly 50% of the steering error accidents
occurred at a speed higher than 40km/h.

45〜54

24 or under

1.4
1.8

Commuting towork or school

Sightseeing
Driving
Eating out
Shopping
Pick-up
Visiting hometown

0.8
0.9
3.2

2.7
1.4
2.7
3.5
6.1
8.0
7.5
2.5
1.7
1.5
1.5
1.4
1.2
1.2
2.1
3.7
0

2

4

6

8

1.5
1.4

2.0
2.1
1.6
0.7
1.0
2.1
2.8
3.6
3.0
1.1
0.7
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.7
0.7
1.2
1.9

5.0

00:00~02:00
02:00~04:00
04:00~06:00
06:00~08:00
08:00~10:00
10:00~12:00
12:00~14:00
14:00~16:00
16:00~18:00
18:00~20:00
20:00~22:00
22:00~24:00

75 or over

10

0

2

4

2.9
2.7
1.4
1.6
1.6
2.4
5.0
3.9
4.1
1.7
1.6
1.8
2.0
2.0
1.7
1.8
2.8
3.8
6

8

10

0

2

4

6

8

10

Rate of steering error accidents (%)

Fig.7 Rate of steering error accidents by trip purpose and by time slot (Year 2004-2013)
ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

lSpeciafeaturePreventing driving operation errors~Driving operation error accidents are common in young and elderly drivers~

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

3 Driving operation errors can lead to serious accidents
Fatal accident rate (%) ＝Number of fatal accidents
Number of driving operation error accidents

×100
4.3

Steering error
0.5
0.1
1.1
0.6
0

1

2

3

4

5

Fatal accident rate (%)

Fig.4 Fatal accident rate of driving operation
error accidents (Year 2004-2013)〜20km/hSteering error〜40km/h

17.2％〜60km/h〜80km/h

36.0％

10.4％ 7.2％

0.5％
Pedal
misapplication

70.1％

24.5％

4.6％

0.3％
1.1％

Braking error

74.9％

17.5％

6.1％

0.4％
2.9％

Other operation
errors

62.1％

23.0％

10.5％

1.6％
1.2％

All casualty
accidents

61.3％

27.0％

9.9％

0.6％

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Single vehicle
Vehicle-vehicle: Others
Vehicle-vehicle:
Overtaking and passing
Vehicle-vehicle:
Head-on collision

Conditions that are likely to
4 cause driving operation error accidents

19.6
13.5

13.8

10

20

5.5
10.0
10.5
7.8
5.9
4.2
3.5
2.7
1.3
0.6
2.7
11.8
1.6
0.5

8.3
9.9
7.3
4.1
2.7
1.8
1.0
0.4
0.2
1.3
8.3
0.6
0.3
30

0

10

20

30

0

10

20

30

Fig.6 Rate of steering error accidents by type of accidents,
Danger Perception Speed and road type (Year 2004-2013)
Let us now study in what situations do the steering error accidents occur. Fig. 7 shows the rate ofsteering error accidents by trip purpose and by time slot. Although a gap is found in the rate similar toFig.6, the trend is similar for all groups with the rate being high in “driving”, “sight-seeing” and “visiting
home town” for trip purpose. On the other hand, the rate is low for “business”, “commuting to work or
school” and “shopping”, suggesting that steering error accidents occur more often on unfamiliar roads
rarely driven on.
By time slot, the rate is more when driving in the midnight to early morning hours, with the rate high foryoung drivers of 24 years or under as compared to other age groups. This may be due to their tendency
to over-speed when the traffic is less and to drive absent-mindedly paying less attention.
45〜54

24 or underBusiness

In what conditions are the driving operation error accidents likely to occur, let us find out. Figures 6 to 9
indicate the rates of driving operation error accidents in the number of accidents by survey items such astype of accident, road type, road condition etc. for each of the three age groups namely, young group of
24 years or under, middle-age group of 45 to 55 years and elderly group of 75 years or over.
Time slot■Steering error accidents
Fig. 6 shows the rate of steering error accidents by type of accidents, Danger Perception Speed androad type. Similar trends are visible in all three age groups, with "single vehicle accidents" and “head-on
collisions” being high for type of accidents. While the rate increases with the increase in the Danger
Perception Speed, when seen by road type, the rate is high for “non-intersection (curves).”
By age groups, the rate is high for young drivers of 24 years or under with 27.3% of single vehicle
accidents and 13.8% of accidents occurring on curves are due to steering error. By Danger Perception
Speed, the rate is high for young drivers of 24 years or under at speeds higher than 50km/h, whereas
the rate is high for elderly drivers of 75 years or over at speeds lower than 50km/h.

1.6

Rate of steering error accidents (%)

Trip Purpose

Fig.5 Danger Perception Speed by type of driving operation error accidents (Year 2004-2013)

18.0

17.6

11.8

0

75 or over

1.2
3.6

〜80km/h〜70km/h
7.6〜60km/h
3.9〜50km/h
2.5〜40km/h〜30km/h 1.5〜20km/h 0.6
10km/h or under 0.3
Non-intersection (straight)
2.4
Non-intersection (curves)
Near intersection 1.3
Intersection 0.7

100%

Percentage

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

27.3
3.1
6.9

About 47% ofsteering errors occur
at over 40km/h

81km/h〜

29.2％

Road type

Pedal
misapplication
Braking error
Other operation
errorsAll casualty
accidents

Type ofDanger Perception Speed
accident

Fig.4 shows the fatal accident rate by type of driving
operation error accidents.
Steering error occupies relatively higher fatal accident
rate of 4.3% as compared to the other types and is 7
times the rate for all casualty accidents which is at 0.6%,
indicating that steering error can lead to serious
accidents.
Also as evident from Fig.5, as opposed to the Danger
Perception Speed of 40km/h or less in more than 80% ofother driving operation error accidents and all casualty
accidents, nearly 50% of the steering error accidents
occurred at a speed higher than 40km/h.

45〜54

24 or under

1.4
1.8

Commuting towork or school

Sightseeing
Driving
Eating out
Shopping
Pick-up
Visiting hometown

0.8
0.9
3.2

2.7
1.4
2.7
3.5
6.1
8.0
7.5
2.5
1.7
1.5
1.5
1.4
1.2
1.2
2.1
3.7
0

2

4

6

8

1.5
1.4

2.0
2.1
1.6
0.7
1.0
2.1
2.8
3.6
3.0
1.1
0.7
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.7
0.7
1.2
1.9

5.0

00:00~02:00
02:00~04:00
04:00~06:00
06:00~08:00
08:00~10:00
10:00~12:00
12:00~14:00
14:00~16:00
16:00~18:00
18:00~20:00
20:00~22:00
22:00~24:00

75 or over

10

0

2

4

2.9
2.7
1.4
1.6
1.6
2.4
5.0
3.9
4.1
1.7
1.6
1.8
2.0
2.0
1.7
1.8
2.8
3.8
6

8

10

0

2

4

6

8

10

Rate of steering error accidents (%)

Fig.7 Rate of steering error accidents by trip purpose and by time slot (Year 2004-2013)
ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

lSpeciafeaturePreventing driving operation errors~Driving operation error accidents are common in young and elderly drivers~

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107■Pedal misapplication accidents
Fig. 8 shows the rate of pedal misapplication accidents by type of movement and by road type.
Irrespective of the age groups, the rate is high for “starting up” under type of movement and “places
other than roads*4” under road type. By age group, the rate is high for elderly drivers of 75 years or overas compared to other age groups, particularly while “reversing.”
Although not mentioned in the figure, the rate of drivers who caused fatal accidents by pedal
misapplication by age groups shows that 39.6% of these accidents were caused by elderly drivers of 75
years or over.
*4: “Places other than roads” refers to the service areas off the highways etc., parking lots of shops, plazas and so forth.

45〜54

24 or underType ofmovement
Road type

0.9
0.4
1.3
2.2
3.1
1.6
0.8
1.9
0.5

Reversing
Making right or left turnGoing straight on
Starting up
Parking lots etc.
Non-intersection (straight)
Non-intersection (curves)
Near intersection
Intersection
075 or over

0.6
0.2
0.7
1.4
2.8
0.9
0.6
1.2
0.2

5

10

15

0

Steering error
n＝83

4.2
1.1
3.5
4.6
15.0
3.8
4.7
4.4
1.0

5

10

15

0

5

10

15

Rate of pedal misapplication accidents (%)

Fig.8 Rate of pedal misapplication accidents by type of movement and by road type (Year 2004-2013)■Braking error accidents
Fig. 9 shows the rate of braking error accidents by road surface condition. Regardless of the age groups,
the rate is high for “pavement (icy)” and “pavement (snow-covered)”. Whereas by age group, young
drivers of 24 years or under account for more accidents as opposed to the drivers of other age groups
suggesting that young drivers are more likely to cause accidents due to braking error.
45〜54

24 or under
Pavement (snow-covered)

18.7

Pavement (icy)

75 or over

14.8
24.0

10.4
21.4

17.3

Pavement (wet)

3.8

2.9

2.3

Pavement (dry)

2.8

2.5

2.3

0

10

20

30

0

Apparently “getting flustered, panicking” is the major human factor that influences driving operation
errors in drivers. As Fig.10 shows, many of the drivers when sensing some danger and trying to avoid it
end up getting flustered and eventually panicky, causing them to commit driving operation errors.
Other human factors are as follows:(1) Steering error accidents are mainly caused by factors such as “lack of driving experience and skill,over-confidence”, “drunk-driving” and “drove as usual.”(2) Pedal misapplication accidents occur mainly due to factors like "decline in performance with age"and “driving an unfamiliar vehicle.”(3) Braking error accidents are caused due to factors like “drove as usual”, "distracted driving", “lack ofdriving experience and skill, over-confidence”, “clothes or shoes inappropriate for driving” among others.

10

20

30

0

10

20

30

Rate of braking error accidents (%)

Fig. 9 Rate of braking error accidents by road surface condition (Year 2004-2013)

Human factors leading to
5 driving operation error accidents
Earlier, we looked into the conditions that are likely to cause driving operation error accidents. Let us
now analyze the human factors that influence operation errors based on our In-depth Case Studies(“microdata”) of 178 drivers who committed driving operation error accidents.
■Human factors that influence driving operation errors
Fig.10 shows some selected human factors that prompted drivers to commit driving operation errors
leading to accidents.

Drove as usual
4
Absent-minded driving
4
Impatient, in a hurry
Getting flustered, panicking
Drunk-driving
6"distracted driving"
6
Driving an unfamiliar vehicle
Lack of driving experience and skill, over-confidence
Clothes or shoes inappropriate for driving 0
3
Decline in performance with age
0

Pedal misapplication
n＝28

12

Braking error
n＝41

0

6
1

2
2

2
34

11

14

9

1

1

0

5
7

14

10

2

2

4
4

0
8
20

30

40 0

5

0

10

15

20 0

5

10

15

20

Number of respondents
Note: “drove as usual” refers to performing usual driving operations without giving heed to road condition and/or driving speed etc. For example, “Since
the driver was driving the vehicle at a high speed on a rainy day and tried to change lane with the same steering operation as one does on a clear
day, the vehicle skidded and collided with the guard rail” and so forth.

Fig.10 Human factors leading to driving operation error accidents (multiple responses)■Inadequate judgment and foresight that leads to driving operation errors
In what circumstances the drivers flustered and panicked and eventually ended up committing driving
operation errors, let us find out. Fig.11 shows the judgment and foresight of drivers before the accident
occurred. Judgment and foresight descriptions with 3 or less responses are not shown.
Many of the drivers committing driving operation errors were engaged in absent-minded driving, without
foreseeing that the “curve may be too sharp” or “there may be oncoming or intersecting vehicles,” when
they were driving on curved roads or at intersections. Also it is apparent that when the drivers perceive
potential dangers like “collision with road-side structures etc.”, “felt will collide with vehicle comingstraight from opposite direction”, “the leading vehicle slowed down or stopped”, and try to avoid them,
they are prone to committing driving operation errors.
Nevertheless, getting flustered and turning panicky could have been avoided if they had driven at aproper speed conducive with the traffic environment and had engaged in predictive driving; thus
preventing many of the driving operation error accidents.
n＝144

Place/object of perception : Judgments and foresights

19

Curve : Didn’t think anything in particular18

Lane departure : Collide with road-side structures

14

Leading vehicle : No problem in overtaking it

11

Leading vehicle : Thought the vehicle would slow down or stop

9

Intersection : Didn’t think anything in particular88Vehicle coming straight from opposite direction : Thought it would collide
Traffic signal : Didn’t think anything in particular

6

Leading vehicle : Will not start immediately

5Road surface condition : Slippery4
4Road surface condition : Didn’t think anything in particularRoad surface condition : Don’t think it is slippery
0

5

10

15

20

Number of respondents

Fig.11 Judgment and foresight shown at the time of danger perception (multiple responses)
ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

lSpeciafeaturePreventing driving operation errors~Driving operation error accidents are common in young and elderly drivers~

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107■Pedal misapplication accidents
Fig. 8 shows the rate of pedal misapplication accidents by type of movement and by road type.
Irrespective of the age groups, the rate is high for “starting up” under type of movement and “places
other than roads*4” under road type. By age group, the rate is high for elderly drivers of 75 years or overas compared to other age groups, particularly while “reversing.”
Although not mentioned in the figure, the rate of drivers who caused fatal accidents by pedal
misapplication by age groups shows that 39.6% of these accidents were caused by elderly drivers of 75
years or over.
*4: “Places other than roads” refers to the service areas off the highways etc., parking lots of shops, plazas and so forth.

45〜54

24 or underType ofmovement
Road type

0.9
0.4
1.3
2.2
3.1
1.6
0.8
1.9
0.5

Reversing
Making right or left turnGoing straight on
Starting up
Parking lots etc.
Non-intersection (straight)
Non-intersection (curves)
Near intersection
Intersection
075 or over

0.6
0.2
0.7
1.4
2.8
0.9
0.6
1.2
0.2

5

10

15

0

Steering error
n＝83

4.2
1.1
3.5
4.6
15.0
3.8
4.7
4.4
1.0

5

10

15

0

5

10

15

Rate of pedal misapplication accidents (%)

Fig.8 Rate of pedal misapplication accidents by type of movement and by road type (Year 2004-2013)■Braking error accidents
Fig. 9 shows the rate of braking error accidents by road surface condition. Regardless of the age groups,
the rate is high for “pavement (icy)” and “pavement (snow-covered)”. Whereas by age group, young
drivers of 24 years or under account for more accidents as opposed to the drivers of other age groups
suggesting that young drivers are more likely to cause accidents due to braking error.
45〜54

24 or under
Pavement (snow-covered)

18.7

Pavement (icy)

75 or over

14.8
24.0

10.4
21.4

17.3

Pavement (wet)

3.8

2.9

2.3

Pavement (dry)

2.8

2.5

2.3

0

10

20

30

0

Apparently “getting flustered, panicking” is the major human factor that influences driving operation
errors in drivers. As Fig.10 shows, many of the drivers when sensing some danger and trying to avoid it
end up getting flustered and eventually panicky, causing them to commit driving operation errors.
Other human factors are as follows:(1) Steering error accidents are mainly caused by factors such as “lack of driving experience and skill,over-confidence”, “drunk-driving” and “drove as usual.”(2) Pedal misapplication accidents occur mainly due to factors like "decline in performance with age"and “driving an unfamiliar vehicle.”(3) Braking error accidents are caused due to factors like “drove as usual”, "distracted driving", “lack ofdriving experience and skill, over-confidence”, “clothes or shoes inappropriate for driving” among others.

10

20

30

0

10

20

30

Rate of braking error accidents (%)

Fig. 9 Rate of braking error accidents by road surface condition (Year 2004-2013)

Human factors leading to
5 driving operation error accidents
Earlier, we looked into the conditions that are likely to cause driving operation error accidents. Let us
now analyze the human factors that influence operation errors based on our In-depth Case Studies(“microdata”) of 178 drivers who committed driving operation error accidents.
■Human factors that influence driving operation errors
Fig.10 shows some selected human factors that prompted drivers to commit driving operation errors
leading to accidents.

Drove as usual
4
Absent-minded driving
4
Impatient, in a hurry
Getting flustered, panicking
Drunk-driving
6
Distracted driving
6
Driving an unfamiliar vehicle
Lack of driving experience and skill, over-confidence
Clothes or shoes inappropriate for driving 0
3
Decline in performance with age
0

Pedal misapplication
n＝28

12

Braking error
n＝41

0

6
1

2
2

2
34

11

14

9

1

1

0

5
7

14

10

2

2

4
4

0
8
20

30

40 0

5

0

10

15

20 0

5

10

15

20

Number of respondents
Note: “drove as usual” refers to performing usual driving operations without giving heed to road surface condition and/or driving speed etc. For example,“Since the driver was driving the vehicle at a high speed on a rainy day and tried to change lane with the same steering operation as one does on aclear day, the vehicle skidded and collided with the guard rail” and so forth.

Fig.10 Human factors leading to driving operation error accidents (multiple responses)■Inadequate judgment and foresight that leads to driving operation errors
In what circumstances the drivers flustered and panicked and eventually ended up committing driving
operation errors, let us find out. Fig.11 shows the judgment and foresight of drivers before the accident
occurred. Judgment and foresight descriptions with 3 or less responses are not shown.
Many of the drivers committing driving operation errors were engaged in absent-minded driving, without
foreseeing that the “curve may be too sharp” or “there may be oncoming or intersecting vehicles,” when
they were driving on curved roads or at intersections. Also it is apparent that when the drivers perceive
potential dangers like “collision with road-side structures etc.”, “felt will collide with vehicle comingstraight from opposite direction”, “the leading vehicle slowed down or stopped”, and try to avoid them,
they are prone to committing driving operation errors.
Nevertheless, getting flustered and turning panicky could have been avoided if they had driven at aproper speed conducive with the traffic environment and had engaged in predictive driving; thus
preventing many of the driving operation error accidents.
n＝144

Place/object of perception : Judgments and foresights

19

Curve : Didn’t think anything in particular18

Lane departure : Collide with road-side structures

14

Leading vehicle : No problem in overtaking it

11

Leading vehicle : Thought the vehicle would slow down or stop

9

Intersection : Didn’t think anything in particular88Vehicle coming straight from opposite direction : Thought it would collide
Traffic signal : Didn’t think anything in particular

6

Leading vehicle : Will not start immediately

5Road surface condition : Slippery4
4Road surface condition : Didn’t think anything in particularRoad surface condition : Don’t think it is slippery
0

5

10

15

20

Number of respondents

Fig.11 Judgment and foresight shown at the time of danger perception (multiple responses)
ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

(1) Driving operation error accidents are common in young drivers of 24 years or under andelderly drivers of 75 years or over.
(2) Steering error is more common when driving on curves and at high speeds.
Also, it is more prevalent in young drivers of 24 years or under with the trip purpose ofdriving and during the time slot of midnight to early morning hours.
(3) Pedal misapplication is more often committed by elderly drivers of 75 years or overduring starting up or reversing the vehicle at parling lots, etc.
(4) Braking error is more prevalent on snow-covered roads and icy roads, regardless of theage group.
(5) In-depth study indicates that many of the drivers who committed driving operation error
accidents were engaged in absent-minded driving, thereby unable to judge and foresee
dangers at curved roads and intersections properly, causing them to fluster and turn
panicky on an unexpected event.

FAX 03-5577-3980

公益法人として設立されました。
その後平成２４年（２０１２年）
４月に公益財団法人に移行しました。我が国で唯一
道 路 交 通 法の定める「 交 通 事 故 調 査 分 析 センター 」の 指 定を国 家 公 安 委 員 会 から受けた 調 査 研 究 機 関であり、 交通事故の防止と被害の軽減 のための 交 通 事 故の調 査 分 析を行っています。

公益財団法人 交通事故総合分析センター〒101-0064 東京都千代田区猿楽町2-7-8 住友水道橋ビル8階
TEL 03-5577-3977(代表) FAX 03-5577-3980●E メール koho@itarda.or.jp

268

住 友 水 道 橋 ビル８ 階

TEL 03-5577-3973

当センターは、平成４年（１９９２年）に国家公安委員会、運輸省（当時）、建設省（当時）から設立許可を受けて、●ウェブサイト http://www.itarda.or.jp/

交通事故分析レポート No.107lSpeciafeaturePreventing driving operation errors~Driving operation error accidents are common in young and elderly drivers~

10

Rate of driving operation
error accidents (%)(Masahide Honda)

公益財団法人 交通事故総合分析センター〒101 0064 東 京 都 千 代 田 区 猿 楽 町 ２ ７ ８(1) Always drive at a speed conducive with the traffic conditions and keep safe distancefrom other vehicles so that you can deal with an unexpected event. This will ensure thatyou do not fluster and turn panicky, thus preventing driving operation error accidents.
(2) It is not necessary that the traffic condition will remain the same at all times. Even on
familiar roads, do not resort to absent-minded driving and always drive taking into
account the traffic and road surface conditions. Ensure cautious driving particularly on
unfamiliar roads.
(3) Young drivers are less experienced and do not have sufficient driving skills. Do not be
over-confident and engage in overspeeding and unreasonable overtaking.
(4) Elderly drivers have grown weaker in their physical abilities and are not able to operate
the vehicle in response to sudden change in traffic conditions. Take your time whenstarting and reversing the vehicle especially at parking lots while properly checking thepositions of pedals and gear lever, so as not to end up committing pedal misapplication.

渉外事業課

ITARDA INFORMATION

No.107■How to prevent driving operation error accidents

イタルダインフォメーションに関するお問い合せ先ITARDA INFORMATION■Characteristics of driving operation error accidents

交通事故分析レポート

6 Conclusion

イタルダ インフォメーション

8

6

1.8

2.9

2.9

2.9

2.1

0.7
1.2

0.6
1.0

0.7
1.0

0.9
1.0

1.2

1.9

24 or under

25〜34

35〜44

45〜54

55〜64

65〜74

75 or over

3.1

1.6

Other operation errors

2.5

1.7

1.2

0

1.8

1.7

3.5

4

2

2.3

2.2

2.8

Braking error
Pedal misapplication

3.1

Steering error

1.6

Rate of driving operation error accidents by age group (2004-2013)

1 Introduction・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ P2
The age groups that are likely to cause

2 driving operation error accidents・・・・・・・・・・ P3
operation error can lead to
3 Driving
serious accidents・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・P4
Conditions that are likely to cause

4 driving operation error accidents・・・・・・・・・・ P4
factors leading
5 Humanto driving operation error accidents・
・
・
・
・
・
・P6

6 Conclusion・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・P8
This issue is a revision of our previous edition of ITARDA
Information No.86 “Preventing driving operation errors,”
with a few data corrections and update of statisticalinformation on accidents. The error in the previous issue
and its correction is shown on the table on the right. We
apologize for the same.

つくば 交通事故調査事務所

ITARDA INFORMATION no.107

刷色：DIC638

Percentage of driver fatalities in driving operation
error accidents (Front page graph)
Pedal misapplication
Steering error
Braking error(Error)
3.44%
0.05%
0.17%

(Correct)
0.17%
3.44%
0.05%