Foreign Rental Car Drivers Increasing Accidents Rates in Japan

Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry conducted a study that found rental car accidents in Osaka Prefecture involving foreign drivers are four times higher than accidents involving Japanese drivers, Japan Times reports.

The study, conducted between April and November, focused on 53 car rental outlets operated by three companies. Researchers found that 3% of the 3,973 tourists who rented vehicles were involved in car accidents, compared to the 0.7% of domestic drivers who were involved in accidents.

Between 2014 and 2016, accidents caused by foreign drivers in Japan nearly tripled, while accidents caused by domestic rental drivers decreased.

The number of foreign tourists picking up rental cars at Kansai International Airport doubled to 99,100 from 2014 to 2016. To help decrease accident rates, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry has been installing multilingual traffic signs, among other efforts.