Japan Sees Record Number of Traffic Accidents Involving Smartphone Use

Even a Glance Can Be Dangerous

According to Japan’s National Police Agency, the number of serious injuries and fatal automobile accidents caused by drivers using smartphones reached 148 cases in 2025, including 26 fatal accidents. This was the highest figure since records were first kept in 2015. Smartphone-related traffic accidents temporarily declined after the 2019 revision of the Road Traffic Act, which increased penalty points and fines for distracted driving, and were also affected by the reduction in travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the number of such accidents has been increasing for the past five years since 2021.

The majority of automobile accidents involving smartphone use are caused by drivers taking their eyes off the road to look at their screens. Fatal accidents account for 2.7% of all smartphone-related traffic accidents, compared with 0.8% for accidents not involving smartphones. In other words, the fatality rate is 3.4 times higher when smartphone use is involved.

A crash that occurred in March inside a tunnel on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, was reportedly caused by a truck driver who was looking at her smartphone while attempting to take a screenshot. The truck collided with a line of vehicles ahead, resulting in the deaths of six people, including three children. According to news reports, prosecutors stated in their opening statement at the first trial that the driver had been taking her eyes off the road for about 13 seconds while traveling at 82 kilometers per hour.

Various studies have found that drivers are at increased risk when they look at a smartphone screen for more than two seconds. According to the NPA, a vehicle traveling at 60 km/h covers approximately 33.3 meters in two seconds. Even when drivers believe they are maintaining a safe distance behind another vehicle, a momentary lapse in attention can easily lead to a serious accident.

Data Sources

• Data on smartphone-related traffic accidents (Japanese) from the National Police Agency.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)