Abstract
Several recent studies have concluded that Japan and the US have different risk cultures. This study examines the actual risk environments faced by citizens in the two countries, in the domain of traffic safety, as a possible source of differences in risk perceptions. The study contrasts traffic-accident risks from several points of view (eg car drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians) and risk statistics (eg death rates, relative fatality risks, and accident lethality). Results clarify the traffic risks in the two countries and confirm their potential for explaining cross-national difference in risk perceptions. (Author/publisher).