The National Police Agency recently reported that the number of traffic fatalities in Japan has decreased. In Japan, a report indicated that the traffic fatality rate decreased significantly in all causes of death. A recent decrease in the traffic fatality rate might be due to intensive preventive measures including traffic safety campaigns, education to prevent traffic accidents, enhanced penal provisions, obligatory provision of seat belts for the driver's and passenger's seats, and stiffer penalties for driving while under the influence and intoxicated. However, there are few detailed reports on the effects of each of these preventive measures at decreasing the traffic fatality rate. Measures that are effective at preventing traffic fatalities should be clarified. Wear of seat belts in the back seat of cars was made obligatory in June 2008. In this report, we researched fatality rates in cars, rates of seat belt wear, and rates of seat belt wear for each occupant (the driver, the front passenger, and rear passengers) from 1996 to 2007 as reported to the National Police Agency, and we calculated the relationship between rates of seat belt wear and fatality rates in cars using single regression analysis. (Author/publisher)
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