the development of bicycles and bicycle traffic space in the future.

## ○ Use of Intelligent Transport Systems

An intelligent transport system (ITS), which attempts to unify people, roads and cars systematically, to improve safety, transport efficiency and comfort, and to contribute greatly to environment conservation through smoothing traffic such as reducing traffic jams using cutting edge information technology, is promoted. For this reason, based on the entire ITS concept formulated in 1996 and the New Information and Communication Technology Strategy formulated in May 2010, research and development, field tests, and the development of social infrastructure are to be promoted and improved with the cooperation of industry, government, and academia.

(1) The improvement of systems and the implementation of optical beacons $ ^{1} $ , which are the key infrastructure of Universal Transport Management Systems (UTMS) were promoted on the basis of the conception of UTMS, that the advanced traffic control center, which plays the leading role, and other equipment attempt to secure the safety and to comfort of traffic, to provide drivers with the advanced traffic information, to control car traffic to attach priority to public vehicles, to reduce traffic pollution, to support the safety of driving, and to ensure the safety of pedestrians through the use of optical beacons capable of two-way communication with cars and the active and comprehensive management of the flow and stream of traffic.

(2) The government will continue to deploy public and private sectors working together to promote the Smart Way by utilizing ITS Spots, which are based on ETC communication technology. Through the use of ITS Spots in addition to the ETC, support services for safe driving will be achieved, such as dynamic route guidance, which allows routes to be selected, adjusting to a wide range of traffic congestion data and provide advance warnings to eliminate close calls during driving.

## 2 Dissemination and Reinforcement of Traffic Safety

## Promotion of Traffic Safety Education for the Elderly

In order to elevate traffic safety awareness based on the mutual edification of elderly communities, the establishment of traffic safety divisions in seniors' clubs and retirement homes as well as the training of elderly traffic safety instructors (silver leaders) was promoted. Subsequently, voluntary traffic safety activities such as the creation of "Close-call maps" were implemented, and instruction and support was given so as to fulfill the leading role of traffic safety activities in local areas and households.

## Promotion of the Safe Usage of Bicycles

In order to demonstrate that the bicycle is a vehicle, thus its user need to respect the rules as vehicles and practice traffic etiquette when passing through a road, public awareness-raising activities that apply "5 Rules for Bicycle Safety Usage" shown in the Central Traffic Safety Policy Council Decision were promoted along with traffic safety education such as participatory/revelatory/hands-on bicycle classrooms that target wide bicycle user groups regarding the correct way to ride a bicycle taking into account pedestrians and other bicycles. Such education applies automobile area training courses, audiovisual aids, simulators, and the 'scared straight method' (an experiential educational method that faces fear by seeing accident being reproduced by a stuntman, and so on)

## 3 Ensuring Safe Driving

## Augmentation for Better and More Effective Measures for Elderly Drivers

Seminars for the elderly required for elderly drivers who are aged 70 and above carry out: practical examinations by getting students to actually drive a vehicle, and testing that utilizes driving aptitude test devices. The aim is to make students self-aware of their own physical changes and giving advice and guidance based on these results. People who take this seminar will not need to attend the seminar when renewing their license. In 2011, senior citizens who attended the seminar added up to 2,025,965.

Furthermore, for seminars at the time of during license renewal, an elderly class was organized targeting people between the ages of 65 and 69, and efforts were made to carry out courses that covered the characteristics of elderly drivers and their traffic accidents.

## Augmentation of Supervision for Road Transport Operators

Targeting "Zero drunk driving" and "Decreasing the Number of deaths and personal injuries in