Courteous, Professional Drivers in Japan

After living here about 6 months, I feel qualified to proclaim that Japanese drivers are far more professional and courteous than in the US. Here's a few observations:

• At night drivers routinely turn off their headlights at a red light so that the beams are not shining toward oncoming traffic or the car in front.
• VMT (vehicle miles traveled) is certainly much lower per capita here than in the US, yet it took until last week for me to see the "result" of a traffic accident - a minor sideswipe fender bender. 
• Pedestrians and bicyclists use crosswalks with confidence that turning traffic (with the green light) will yield. I see children as young as 5 years old safely riding bicycles through major traffic intersections.  
• Narrow roads are the rule, not the exception here - yet drivers somehow find a way to maintain speed, and safely navigate past one another. 
• I've heard a few honked horns - primarily short blasts to warn a car of another's presence. I've yet to see a rude exchange between drivers, or what we call in the states "aggressive driving". 
• Talking on a cell phone while driving is illegal in Japan. I simply don't see many people doing it.
• Curiously - watching TV from the drivers seat is apparently NOT illegal in Japan, and in fact it appears to be quite commonly done from the same screen as the nearly ubiquitous on-board navigation unit. (Except at night, it's difficult to determine what is being watched on the screens). Oddly, when I'm observing cars at night, I only notice drivers watching their TVs at red lights. 
• Drivers with less than one year of experience hang a green and yellow triangle sign on the front and rear of their car to "proclaim" their lack of experience. I'm told it helps reduce liability in an accident - but it also serves an important purpose similar to the "Student Driver" signs we use in the US - it helps people keep a safe distance if necessary. Similarly, drivers over a certain age - I believe it is 60 years - hang an orange and brown teardrop sign on the front and rear of their cars. As both types of signs are common, I assume that no one is overly concerned about the social stigma of  proclaiming either inexperience or advanced age. 

So what does all this mean? I think it boils down to the fact that  driving a car in Japan is much more a privilege more than a "right".  I've learned that it can cost as much as $3,000 to attend a mandatory driver's education course in Japan. If you don't demonstrate proper skills, you fail. When you also consider the high costs of parking and registering your car, you realize that owning and operating a car in Japan is a responsibility that appears to be taken very seriously by the majority of drivers.