2 women hit and killed by car on crossing in Ibaraki; driver arrested

Thats the exact reason why i still check a few times before crossing and i also keep an eye on traffic whilst crossing. This needs to be taught at schools.

"But the light was green."...... Always look right and left as it isn't the traffic lights that kill you.

I live in Kanagawa and Tokyo, as well as in Tochigi which isn't too far from Ibaraki and while we don't know the exact details of the crash, I can say that I've seen so many people speed up to beat a red light time and time again. It's like, where are you trying to get to that is so important that you have to drive like you've got no sense? It's scary being a pedestrian out here. The streets can and will take you out.

Very sad. The speed some of these hooligans travel at on narrow roads is unbelievable!

If police enforced the law with tickets and fines people wouldn't drive like such loons!

could pay off the national debt in a few weeks going by the standard of driving I’ve seen.

The police aren’t doing their jobs when drivers in Japan regularly run red lights.

It is a usual occurrence-why?

Thats the exact reason why i still check a few times before crossing and i also keep an eye on traffic whilst crossing. This needs to be taught at schools.

Exactly, you just dont blindly rely your life on a traffic light. There is a human behind the wheel, it can be distracted, drunk, old, suffering from an illness/sociopath episode, arguing etc. endless possibilities.

Red light cameras, like they introduced to Queensland in the early 1990’s out an end to most red light running.

Getting a few ¥30,000 fines should slow down the “normal” way of driving through red lights up to 5 seconds after they turn red.

When you're a pedestrian or a bicyclist, you are the natural prey of one of the statistically deadliest predators we know, the automobile, and if you forget that even for a moment...

This is exactly why you should always look left and right before crossing the road, even when the light is green. It's never 100% guarantee. RIP to the two women.

How about installing some speed bumps?

Look both ways on every street, even one way streets. Especially with the recent army of ubereats riders who follow zero road rules.

killed by driver.

Lots of key information missing! Was the crossing light green when the accident occurred? Was the driver drunk or speeding and tried to beat the red light? Same could be asked if the pedestrian tried to beat the crossing lights when it had already changed red? Also, the most annoying thing about Japan roads is that the green pedestrian crossing light also allows the cars turning ( usually left turn from one road to the next ) at junctions to continue moving and drive across! It should be that when the pedestrian lights are green, then all cars should stop and people cross safely!

It's sad this happened !

Pedestrians always in danger

Its true that both drivers and pedestrians and cyclist are extremely poor at looking both ways where ever they are.

I work in the traffic industry in Japan and iam continuously baffled by how the general public never pay attention or frequently ignore the lights and possible dangers.

Even when exiting stores or building on to the sidewalk they don't look both ways.

Safety standards and education of Safety in Japan is extremely poor in my opinion.

When walking at night always have a flashlight and an article of bright or reflective clothing.

I always position myself behind the traffic lights post juat in case some driver lose control. At least that way i feel safer, can' t understand how people stand so near the road to cross, looks like dangerous.

What amazes me about this tragedy and all the others just like it is that Japan is rife with surveillance cameras watching people, but none at traffic-light controlled intersections. A simple video camera that turns on when the amber light turns on would give all the evidence needed to fine any driver for going through when they should be stopping. Sometimes simple is too complicated, eh?

Look both ways on every street, even one way streets. Especially with the recent army of ubereats riders who follow zero road rules.

awful cyclists been around way before Uber Eats, used to live in a busy road without walksides and poor visibility when leaving the garage, pedestrians and cars weren't a problem, the main concern were cyclists coming full speed from the left (opposite direction of cars) so in theory all I needed to do was to check garage mirror for any pedestrians from both directions and the cars coming from the right to merge into traffic, but that wasnt enough with so many kamikazes on bikes unfazed with the engine noise/headlights on from a car about to leave the garage in front of them. What do you call these people?

Most pedestrians do not look left/right before crossing especially children!!! It's unbelievable that one can cross without checking first!