Japan's traffic death toll fell to a record low of 3,532 in 2018, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Saturday. The figure was 162 lower than in 2017 and the lowest since traffic death statistics started being kept in 1948.

By prefecture, Aichi had the highest number of traffic fatalities with 189, followed by Chiba (186) and Saitama (175). Tottori and Shimane prefectures had the lowest at 20 each, Fuji TV reported.

The NPA attributed the decrease to a police crackdown on traffic violations, as well as more stringent tests for elderly people renewing their driver's licenses. However, the number of fatalities among people aged 65 and older declined only by 54 to 1,966, accounting for 55.7% of the total.

Road fatalities in Japan peaked at 16, 765 in 1970, when there were fewer traffic lights and road signs.

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