## From Policy Evaluation of the Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program

When examining road traffic fatality trends, they increase remarkably from the latter half of the 1940s with the peak record reaching 16,765 deaths in 1970. There was a downward trend afterwards, and reached 8,466 fatalities in 1979. The trend has been declining since the second peak was reached in 1992.

Concerning the number of injuries and fatalities, it increased alongside the number of fatalities until 1992, but the number of injuries and fatalities continued to increase until 2004, where the number reached a record high of 1.19 million people.

Given such conditions, in 2006 the Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program was created with the basic philosophy of "aiming for a road traffic accident-free society" and "a traffic safety ideology that places first priority on people". The first established goal therein was to bring the number of 24-hour fatalities below 5,500, and the number of injuries and fatalities to below 1 million. Also, each measure shown in the 8 pillars displayed below were introduced in each ministries and agencies.

As a result, the goals of the Eighth Program were achieved in 2008 with 5,155 24-hour fatalities and 950 thousand injuries and fatalities. In addition, we are aiming to achieve the traffic safety goal of less than 2,500 traffic accident fatalities by 2018, and this effort will be reflected in the next Fundamental program. In order to promote traffic safety measures furthermore, a policy evaluation of the Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program (2006-2010) was implemented, which will be introduced here.

### I. Evaluation Perspective

Within the Policy Evaluation of the Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program, in order to further clarify the relationship between the goal of "Fatality/Injury & Fatality Reduction" and the individual policies implemented towards its realization, 4 viewpoints to be focused in the implementation of road traffic safety policies and 8 pillars introduced as policies to work out based on the Traffic Safety Policies Basic Act etc. were configured as a "policy group" and evaluated.

The Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program, Part 1: Land Transport Safety, Chapter 1 Road Traffic Safety Paragraph 1: Aiming for a Road Traffic Accident-Free Society

* Basic overview is “Aiming for a Road Traffic Accident-Free Society”

Paragraph 2: Goals Regarding Road Safety

* Reduce 24-hour fatalities to below 5,500 injuries, fatalities to below 1 million

Paragraph 3: Measures Regarding Road Traffic Safety

I Viewpoints Considering the future of Road Traffic Safety Measures

* Display the basic orientation of the countermeasures

1 Coping with declining birthrate and aging society 2 Ensuring safety for pedestrians

3 Encouraging citizens to improve their awareness 4 Utilizing IT

## I I Attempted Pillars

* Display the current conditions and basic orientation of the countermeasures regarding each pillar

* Afterward, record a description regarding each individual policy

1 Improvement of the road traffic environment

2 Dissemination and Reinforcement of Traffic Safety Measures

3 Ensuring safe driving

4 Ensuring vehicle safety

5 Maintenance of road traffic order

6 Augmentation of rescue and emergency services systems

7 Promotion of victim support, including the appropriate damage compensation systems

8 Augmentation of R&D and study activities

### I I. Evaluation Example for the Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program

(1) Example of Individual Evaluation of the Policy Group

① Evaluation of policy groups based on the 8 pillars

A brief overview is given below regarding evaluation cases of policy groups based on the 8 pillars.