8 injured after car, motorbike collide in Yokohama; car driver arrested

So I'm 64 and ride a large motorcycle , my reaction times are excellent, are you generalizing based on age ?

All old people are dangerous, or all old people are bad drivers, or all old people have bad reaction times, or all old people dont pay enough attention or what ?

It is like saying all dogs bite children or all drunk people drive ......... there are also young people who cause crashes, stop with the age comments its getting too discriminating and in this day n age not very PC for this PC news site.

This guy was 68 , so kinda mutes you argument if you saying its the over 70s..... none the less more people under 60 having accidents than the over 60s, they are the problem., in experience bravado, inattention, distractions, inability, lack of responsibilty .

My Harley is 103cu in need to be sharp to handle it and its heavy too. Cant be fiddle faddling around on that.

samuraivunylDec. 14  11:06 pm JST

Yes, very much based on age... Old people generally have slower reaction times. You don't think so? You think you could get into a boxing ring with a younger guy of 30 years and be able to react effectively to every punch thrown? I don't think so. So you drive a large motorbike? What's that go to do with anything? One of my father in law's friends rides a Harley and he is 72 . His skills are still sharp .at 64, you are not that old. Its the plus 70 group that need to show that they still have the skills required to safely operate a vehicle

The article says the driver is 68. I.e. not in the "plus 70 group".

In the event, right turns are always dangerous, and for car drivers to underestimate the speed of bikes is common, not restricted to the "over 70 group."

I am riding a bike in Tokyo myself, and getting t-boned like this is always one of my worries.

Old people generally have slower reaction times.

I agree. I'm sure my reaction times have dropped since I was about 30. But the other side of that coin is that older people (up to a certain age anyway) have the experience to avoid difficult situations in the first place. Through experience, they may see potentially dangerous situations in advance and take appropriate avoiding measures.

But in any age group, there are always the impetuous ones.

In summary, cars on the road must be the maddest achievement of civilization. And yet I still enjoy driving.

The car driver admits "he took his eyes off the road for a second" (although I am sure that it was longer than one second). Reaction time is irrelevant if the driver is distracted and not watching the road.

Chaps, it doesn't take rocket science to prove old people are slower than young people and it's certainly not worth the time arguing about. There is however an argument to be made about how the experience and learned reactions of older drivers, alongside a lower appetite for risk, often leads to better outcomes, hence insurance scaling back with age.

I expect every car waiting at a junction to turn in on me. Cars are the lowest common denominator on the roads and take little skill to operate. Fellow bikers, treat cagers as a threat, expect them to make the wrong choices, and prepare accordingly.

This could happen to any of us if we take our eyes off the road. Yokohama Chinatown has many colorful distractions that can divert the eyes.