Economic losses directly caused by traffic accidents in fiscal 1996 ran to about 3.45 trillion yen, nearly half of which stemmed from accidents involving drivers between the ages of 16 and 29, a national insurance association said Friday.
According to the Marine & Fire Insurance Association of Japan, 1.16 million people were hurt in traffic accidents in fiscal 1996, 1.1 percent of whom were killed and 3.4 percent of whom suffered long-term aftereffects from their injuries. Rear-end collisions were the most common, accounting for 34 percent of all accidents and injuring more than 360,000 people, the association said.
This year's survey for the first time included estimates of accidents involving drivers not covered by automobile insurance, the association said. More than half of those hurt suffered injuries to the neck, head or face. Urging drivers and auto makers to recognize the seriousness of accidents resulting in such injuries is necessary to significantly reduce their number, the association recommended.