(1) A key component of the ongoing work with the ITS has been Universal Traffic Management System (UTMS), whose aim is to ensure traffic safety and comfort through a network of advanced traffic control centers. Through use of near-infrared beacons $ ^{3} $ the envisioned system will involve the creation of control centers that will be able to establish two-way communication with individual vehicles on the road, thus providing the centers with the ability to actively and comprehensively manage traffic flow and volumes. Via this means the aim with the UTMS is to provide advanced traffic information, manage vehicular operations, and give priority passage to public vehicles, as well as reducing traffic pollution, supporting safer driving, and ensuring the safety of pedestrians. Based on the UTMS concept the nation has taken steps to improve its traffic systems and install facilities for the near-infrared beacons, which are the key infrastructural component of the UTMS.

(2) A smart way service has been adopted incorporating a new function that enables more traffic information to be made available on wider areas, along with the control of safer driving support, sightseeing information, and distributional vehicles being achieved through a single piece of on-board equipment in addition to the functions already available through individual on-board equipment such as car navigation systems, VICS, and ETC using 5.8GHz band DSRC to date. In the service experiments have taken place on the public Tokyo Metropolitan Highway from May, 2007, with the smart way that has been actively promoted as a public road experiment for this service having been expanded to three major megalopolises as of 2008.

## 2 Dissemination and reinforcement of traffic safety messages

## Traffic safety education for the elderly

The government has also recognized the need to increase the traffic safety awareness of seniors through mutual edification programs involving them. Toward this end the government has supported the establishment of traffic safety clubs at seniors' clubs and retirement homes, and the training of "Silver Leaders," or seniors who can provide education on traffic safety to other seniors. It has also encouraged seniors' clubs etc to take leadership roles on traffic safety within their own communities and households, and provided support for those efforts. They have included guidance being provided to help seniors' clubs etc create "Hiyari Maps" (maps of near-miss spots) with the cooperation of related organizations. The Cabinet Office launched a "Hands-on Program for Promoting Safer Driving by Seniors" in order to train Silver Leaders and other seniors with community influence in providing sustained leadership in community-based driving safety education for the elderly.

The Cabinet Office has also implemented two other ongoing programs: the "Cross-generation of Children, Parents and Seniors Sharing Project," in which people from the three different generations gather together to learn about traffic safety, and the "child-rearing and Seniors Home Visitation Project," in which they directly visit the homes of parents raising children and seniors that have few occasions to participate in the various kinds of events and traffic safety classrooms etc in disseminating and raising awareness on traffic safety messages.

## 3 Ensuring safer driving practices

## Developing better and more effective measures for elderly drivers

Programs for evaluating the competency of senior drivers, which are now required for persons aged 70 and older, include tests for verifying the level of competency necessary in ensuring safe driving takes place. In the programs participants can be requested to either drive an actual vehicle or to use driver-competence testing equipment in arriving at an evaluation of their skills. The goal is to have elderly drivers be more aware of the changes that can occur in their physical functionality and to then offer them advice and guidance based on the results of the findings. Under existing regulations persons who participate in these programs are not required to take the courses that they would normally be required to take when renewing their licenses. A total of 1,360,488 persons participated in these programs in 2008.

Traffic safety agencies have also organized classes for drivers aged 65 to 69 that are held in conjunction with license renewals. These classes endeavor to reveal to seniors their own driving tendencies and the characteristics of accidents in which the elderly have often been involved.

• Enhancing guidance and supervision of road transport operators

Efforts have been made to implement thorough auditing and reinforcing operators involved in serious accidents and new entrants, and also to implement joint audits and supervision being provided by relevant