Samenvatting
Japan had 8670 fatalities in traffic accidnets in 1980, approximately one-half of the 16765 fatalities which occurred in 1970. This decrease is remarkable considering that the number of registered vehicles increase 113% from 1970 to 1980, and that total vehicle mileage increased 69% between 1970 and 1979. Summaries of 1980 traffic accidnet statistics are presented, with emphasis on alcohol involvement, injury patterns, and the effect of traffic mix. Also described is the unique organization of Japanese police departments for accidnet investigation, including methods of data collection and analysis.