TOKYO -- Japan saw 136 accidents resulting in death or serious injury caused by people using cell phones or smartphones while driving in 2024, figures released by the National Police Agency (NPA) show.

The number of deaths from such accidents rose by seven from the previous year to reach 32. Including bicycle accidents resulting in death or injury caused by phone use while riding, the figure rose to 164 -- the highest since 2007, when statistics on such accidents were first compiled.

The NPA, which announced the figures Feb. 27, pointed to the increasing convenience of smartphone apps as one reason for the upward trend, warning that using a smartphone while driving "is distracting and extremely dangerous," and further stating, "It can lead to fatal accidents, so we definitely want people to stop doing it."

It was the fourth year in a row for fatal or serious accidents caused by mobile phone use while driving to increase. In 125 cases, drivers were looking at their cell phone or smartphone screens, and in 11 cases they were talking on their phones.

An analysis by the NPA of 489 accidents resulting in death or serious injury over the five years from 2020 to 2024 revealed that 28.8% involved drivers in their 20s -- the highest percentage -- followed by those in their 30s at 23.7%. Including those aged 18 and 19, nearly 60% of the cases involved individuals in their 30s or younger.

Additionally, when the "primary party" with the greatest negligence was driving a vehicle, the rate of fatal accidents due to distracted driving was about 3.7 times higher than in other cases, highlighting the big risk.

In 2024, fatal and serious bicycle accidents caused by distracted riding increased by two from the previous year to 28 cases, with one fatal accident. In 25 of these cases people were looking at their phone screens and in three cases they were talking on the phone.

Over the five years up to 2024, there were 63 such cases involving individuals aged 19 and under -- over half of the total of 114.

(Japanese original by Masakatsu Yamasaki, Tokyo City News Department)