Tokyo police say the number of people to have their driver’s licenses revoked because of dementia continues to rise.
Between January and the end of November this year, 60 people with dementia in the Tokyo metropolitan area had their licenses cancelled. The figure was 53 in 2014, and 7 in 2013.
Japan’s road traffic law stipulates that a driver who police suspect of having dementia at the time of an accident or license renewal must see a doctor for an aptitude test.
If the driver is determined to suffer symptoms of dementia that present a danger for driving, their license will be cancelled or suspended.
Police are calling on family members of elderly people to be on the alert for signs of dementia.
Hiroyuki Odaka from the drivers’ license division at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police says the number of drivers with dementia is likely to increase as baby boomers now in their 60s grow older.
He urges drivers who notice their own signs of dementia to surrender their licenses.
Source and image: NHK
Join the Conversation