Evolution in Japan's legal system for ensuring traffic safety

In Japan, the key pieces of legislations governing road safety, namely the Road Transport Vehicle Act and the Road Traffic Act, have been revised to tackle drunk driving and, recently, to allow the development of self-driving cars. Traffic safety on public roads depends on a holistic system of vehicle control and a graduated response to traffic violation. If small violations are dealt with via a simplified system of fines, drunk driving and other form of dangerous driving need a stronger response that also includes criminal incrimination. The other major evolution in traffic-safety law is the gradual introduction of legislation allowing self-driving cars. After reducing the obstacles to the operation of automated vehicles with technology comparable to SAE level 3 on public roads, legislation has recently introduced a system comprising three entities for SAE level 4 cars in order to safely transition to driverless traffic operation. However, the key concepts and definitions—even for terms as simple as the “driver” —still need to be reviewed and improved to better fit this futuristic mode of driving. • Traffic and types of vehicles have evolved, especially with the recent introduction of self-driving cars. In order to improve traffic safety, it is crucial to understand the existing legislation and its evolution throughout recent years. • One of the main problems is how to tackle drunk driving. The Road Traffic Act deals with minor violations through a system of fines, but for drunk driving, the law has introduced and revised criminal measures to reduce the number of related accidents with the help of local publicity measures. • The development of automated cars has previously led to the adoption of legislation to allow SAE level 3 vehicles. Recently, the Road Traffic Act has been revised further to introduce a new system for vehicles similar to level 4, even though the basic concepts still lack a clear and common definition.