Newsfrom Japan

Tamana, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 19 (Jiji Press)--Orders are flooding in for a device, called "Onepedal," which was developed by a small Japanese company to help reduce car accidents through the elimination of the possibility of drivers mistakenly pressing the accelerator for the brake.

The special pedal from Naruse Machinery Co., based in the city of Tamana in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto, could be a blessing, mainly for aged drivers, at a time when the country has recently witnessed a series of accidents involving cars driven by elderly people that occurred apparently due to the accelerator being hit mistakenly for the brake pedal.

After placing orders, customers now have to wait around 10 months for the device to be installed in their cars.

For cars equipped with Onepedal to decelerate or stop, drivers step on it, just as they do with the conventional brake pedal. To accelerate, meanwhile, they move their foot placed on Onepedal sideways to press a lever attached to the side of the pedal.

Due to the one-pedal structure of the device, there is no risk for drivers to mistake the gas pedal for the brake, according to the company.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]