TRanSpORTaTiOn and SaFETY in Japan

On-board flight recorders have been in airplanes for some time, and have made a significant contribution to our understanding of the causes of accidents and how to prevent them. Drive video recorders, which act like flight recorders for automobiles, have recently been brought to market in Japan and are rapidly gaining popularity in commercial vehicles, particularly taxis. These drive video recorders are capable of recording not only driving data but also video images for the period immediately before and after an accident. In a situation where both parties to an accident assert that the light in front of them was green, for example, the issue could quickly be resolved by replaying the video. Drive video recorders have also begun to be applied not only to the disposition of accidents but also to driver education, where they are proving effective in deterring accidents. This paper describes the development, diffusion and current use of drive video recorders in Japan as well as next steps and the outlook for the future.