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April 14, 2006
Hearing-impaired may drive soon
Hearing-impaired people will be allowed to drive, possibly in two years, under certain conditions, the National Police Agency said Thursday. People who are hearing impaired have been asking to be licensed to drive to make it easier for them to participate in society. About 129,000 people in Japan are deaf, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
The NPA aims to have the Road Traffic Law revised to remove the hearing requirement for driving, a condition not found in many countries, including Germany, France and the United States. Under the current law, drivers must be able to hear car horns 10 meters away.
At the request of the NPA, the International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences tested deaf drivers and determined they can drive safely if they have wide mirrors.
The police agency said it will ensure driving schools are able to teach the particular risks hearing-impaired drivers face and teach them how to use the special mirrors to drive defensively.
Hearing-impaired people will continue to be barred from driving large vehicles and taxis. However, the NPA will consider in the coming months whether to allow motorcycle driving.
"It has been difficult to get a job because I don't have a license and it has been a major issue to be competitive with people with moderate hearing impairment who can get a license by wearing a hearing aid," said Nobuyuki Kurosaki, an official of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, which represents around 26,000 hearing-impaired people.
By The Japan Times
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060414a7.html
Posted by 4HL on April 14, 2006 5:50 AM
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