The government will seek to establish clearer standards for prosecuting dangerous driving offenses, aiming to introduce specific numerical thresholds for excessive speed and blood alcohol levels, Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki announced Tuesday.

The ministry will ask the Legislative Council, an advisory panel to the justice minister, on Feb. 10 to come up with recommendations on amending the law governing criminal penalties for reckless driving.

“Addressing dangerous and egregious traffic offenses is an urgent issue,” Suzuki said at a news conference on Tuesday. “I expect the Legislative Council to conduct a thorough review and provide recommendations as soon as possible.”

Under the current law, “dangerous driving resulting in death or injury” carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, significantly harsher than the seven-year maximum term for “negligent driving resulting in death or injury.”

However, the criteria for applying the charge for dangerous driving — such as whether a driver was traveling at an uncontrollable high speed or was unable to operate a vehicle properly due to alcohol or drug influence — are vague. This has led to inconsistencies in court rulings and a high bar for prosecution.

With the revision of the law, the government aims for a blanket application of the dangerous driving charge for offenders.

In February last year, the Justice Ministry established an expert panel to review the issue. In a report released in November, the panel recommended setting clear numerical thresholds for speed and for blood alcohol concentration levels. The upcoming Legislative Council discussions will examine whether to codify these thresholds into law.

The council will also consider whether to expand punishable offenses to include “drifting,” a driving maneuver that intentionally causes a vehicle's tires to laterally slide.

Translated by The Japan Times