Streets aren’t the problem, lax licensing standards are the problem. Here in Japan getting a drivers license is hard. The written test has 200 questions, the road test is no joke, and the $3000 cost for driving school and licensing fees are even less funny. Most people fail the written test on the first try, everyone fails the road test on the first try. A surprising number of people never pass. Japan makes sure that all drivers know the rules of the road, especially when it comes to bicycles and pedestrians. The first time you renew your license you are required to sit through a one hour safety lecture complete with videos of simulated accidents with bicycles and pedestrians. Following renewals have shorter lectures, but safety is emphasized repeatedly, as well as the consequences for not driving safely.
Want to try driving without a license in Japan? Good luck with that. Japan’s criminal justice system is not something sane people want to deal with. Japan doesn’t believe in presumption of innocence, phone calls or access to a lawyer during questioning, and Japan doesn’t do bail.