＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
Japan has become a “super-aged society” unlike any other in the world, and as a result, the number of traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers is on the rise every year. The number of elderly people voluntarily surrendering their driver’s licenses is also increasing, reaching 270,000 in 2015, 15 times the number from 10 years ago. However, cars are also an essential means of transportation in rural areas.
As a result, the Road Traffic Act was revised in March 2017, and now people aged 70 or over are required to go through the following procedure when renewing their driver’s license.
By 2020, all of the baby boomers will be over 70 years old, making this an increasingly pressing issue, so I would like to take this opportunity to consider it.
Those aged 70 or older are required to take a “senior driver’s license course” when renewing their driver’s license. The procedures differ for those aged 70-74 and those aged 75 or older.
As an aside, “Heisei 31” ended on April 30, 2019, and “Reiwa 1” began on May 1, 2019. Most driver’s licenses still have the “Heisei” era name, such as “Valid until XX/XX/Heisei 34,” so please be careful not to accidentally expire them by misreading it as “Reiwa.”
1. If you are aged 70-74
You are required to take a two-hour “senior driver’s license course (streamlined).” (The course is called “streamlined” because the time was shortened by a legal revision in March 2017.)
The “senior driver’s license course” consists of 60 minutes of classroom instruction and 60 minutes of driving instruction at a driving school. Classroom lessons are interactive lectures using textbooks and videos, and cover topics such as driving aptitude tests, night vision, and dynamic vision. Participants are encouraged to ask questions and engage in conversation to assess their level of understanding. Driving instruction involves using a training vehicle to deepen their understanding of safe driving.
In addition to taking the Senior Citizen Course, you can also renew your license through the Challenge Course. This involves driving on a course, receiving driving instruction (examination), and if you score 70 or above, you can take a simplified course to renew your license. The fee is slightly cheaper than the Senior Citizen Course. However, just like getting a license without attending a driving school, if you fail you have to start over from scratch. Furthermore, due to the limited number of locations offering the Challenge Course, few people seem to take it.
2. For those aged 75 and over
First, you must take a cognitive function test and then a senior driver’s license course. Depending on your memory and judgment, you may also need a medical certificate.
The cognitive function test consists of the following three tests:
1. Time orientation: This test involves identifying the date and time of the day.
2. Clue recall: This test involves memorizing 16 pictures and identifying their names. You must first answer without any hints, then with the aid of hints.
3. Clock drawing: This test involves drawing an analog clock face to display the time.
(1) If you are not concerned about your memory or judgment.
You can renew your license by taking the same two-hour senior driver’s license course as those under 75.
(2) If your memory or judgment is slightly impaired.
You must take a three-hour course called an “advanced driver’s license course.” The additional hour is for “individual instruction,” which utilizes dashcam footage and other tools to tailor the course to your individual driving habits and driving conditions.
(3) If your memory or judgment is impaired (possibly due to dementia)
In accordance with the notification, you will be required to take a “temporary aptitude test” or submit a medical certificate from a specialist doctor. If you are diagnosed as not having dementia, you will proceed to the “advanced driver’s license training” (2). If you are diagnosed as having dementia, your driver’s license will be revoked or suspended.
3. Drivers’ licenses sometimes expire due to inability to reserve a driving course.
The number of licensed drivers aged 75 and over is expected to reach approximately 6 million by 2020, doubling in just 15 years.
However, recently, an increasing number of elderly drivers have been unable to reserve a driving course at a driving school, resulting in their licenses expiring. This is because those aged 75 and over are required to take both the cognitive function test and the senior driver’s course on separate days, resulting in the hassle of making two reservations.
The recent increase in elderly drivers and the decline in driving schools due to young people’s disinterest in cars have led to difficulties in securing a driving course reservation.
In Kanagawa Prefecture (at the end of 2017), drivers had to wait at least two months to take the cognitive function test, and three months to take the subsequent senior driver’s course.
Prefectural public safety commissions are taking measures such as directly conducting driving training for seniors at police facilities, but congestion has not yet been alleviated. National-level action, such as amending the Road Traffic Act to include special provisions for extending driver’s license renewal periods for seniors, is necessary, and we appreciate your consideration.
Regarding the voluntary surrender of driver’s licenses by seniors, a survey conducted by the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology targeting people aged 65 and over found that “people who surrender their licenses and no longer drive are eight times more likely to require nursing care than those who continue to drive.”
4. Is surrendering licenses the best option for seniors?
It seems that surrendering licenses does not necessarily mean the best choice for seniors. In our super-aging society, we need to carefully consider this issue, along with measures to prevent elderly drivers from losing their licenses and safety measures to reduce traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers.
When building a house, it is recommended to make it “barrier-free” so that it is friendly to the elderly, but on the other hand, I have heard that “barrier-free” means “spoiling the elderly” and that it may actually make them more susceptible to dementia. It certainly seems that humans are less likely to become senile if they have a certain amount of “stimulation” and “difficulties (hardships).”