old people should not be able drive send tweet

There is a reason why people stop driving when they get older. It is because it is dangerous not only for the (aged) driver but also for other people on the road. Japan is now offering subsidies for aging drivers who install safety devices on their cars to combat the rising number of accidents caused by senior drivers who mistake the acceleration pedal for the brake pedal. The hope is that the technological advances of these enhanced safety devices will prevent these accidents.

There is a race for Japanese automakers to complete cars with these newly enhanced safety features. However, I wonder how much these technological advances will be able to combat the source of the problem: Japan’s aging population. 

These subsidies follow the recurring theme of Japan’s aging population. With a gap in Japan regarding care workers, senior drivers must rely on themselves to get around. This is most likely more of a problem in more rural areas where there is less public transportation that seniors are able to use. The network of public transportation is understandably less connected in rural areas; however, more senior citizens may live in more rural areas, which means that public transportation does not help senior citizens get around. Without younger folks to drive them around, senior citizens may have to rely on their own ability and drive themselves. Although these technological advances will most likely be able to prevent a majority of accidents, the pace at which these advances occur may not be able to catch up with the pace of the widespread effects of the aging population.