Minitruck hits 4 children in Shizuoka Prefecture, killing one

Accidents caused by older drivers have been a concern in Japan. The government in recent years has stepped up a safety awareness campaign.

Is there a solution to tragedies like these?

If we take away the driver’s licenses of everyone over the age of 78 in communities like Hamamatsu, which likely have limited public transportation, we greatly limit the mobility of the elderly who need to visit supermarkets, clinics, etc. that are often a good distance away.

We could have a frequent driver’s test for drivers over a certain age, like 75. But this fellow would likely have passed if he was a frequent driver. 

The only solution I see is autonomous vehicles, which society will likely have in abundance in a decade or so.

He remembered hitting and injuring them, but not how it happened? Total BS!

Placing automatic braking systems on cars and trucks that sense body heat ie infrared wavelengths might be a help?

Stop treating driver's license renewals like a production line. Cognitive and physical reaction time can begin declining as early as the mid-60s, with a more substantial decrease from the 70s onward. Currently, drivers over 75 are granted a three-year license validity period, but this should be reduced to one year to ensure more frequent assessments of their ability to drive safely. Also start investing more in AV (autonomous vehicle) buses for the rural areas to ween the elderly away from driving.

AGE has NOTHING to do with it.

It all depends on his physical and mental conditions.

I know people in my area age 79 & 83 and they drive just as good if not even better than much younger drivers.

A tragic accident.

For many people, giving up driving due to old age is a death sentence because they lose their independence and their health and condition rapidly declines afterwards because they essentially become house bound. This kind of problem is going to worsen with the aging population. We might sometimes bemoan public transport like buses and local trains, but they're essential for older people who may be fine to drive on some days, but not on others, especially when vision is impaired.

Nonetheless, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of life and injuries incurred.

It seems that the head injury was the major problem. Hopefully more people will wear helmets after hearing this tragic news. It only takes 10 seconds to put on a helmet. Stay safe everyone.

Recently saw an old man in one of these trucks drive into a hardware store entrance and hit an old lady who was on the pedestrian walkway .

Lady uninjured, she literally bounced of the truck, she was so light.

Driver a little confused , old fellow thinking "how did this happen "?

Well, you didn't look, didn't see, came in too fast , didn't take care when passing a walkway.

Eldery people shouldn't be driving

It's there families responsibility to stop them driving

This murderers family have blood on their hands

@ dbsaiya

Stop treating driver's license renewals like a production line. 

You obviously know nothing about driver's license renewals for the elderly in Japan. Drivers aged 70 or older must complete the course for elderly people, when they renew driver's licenses. This mandatory course which has to be completed BEFORE you show up for the usual renewal comprises a classroom lecture, an actual driving session through an obstacle course which also includes a reaction test and a much more thorough and stringent vision test. For those aged 75 or older, a cognitive function test, which evaluates memory and judgment abilities, is also mandatory. Please research before you post.

Lots of factors ....twilight hour, setting sun, older driver, narrow street, speed ?, kids not road safety aware ect.

There is going to be a lot of pain emanating from this.....from the surviving kids, the parents, friends at school, teachers, headmaster, the driver and his family too.

Say a little prayer....

JapantimeToday  08:31 am JST

It seems that the head injury was the major problem. Hopefully more people will wear helmets after hearing this tragic news. It only takes 10 seconds to put on a helmet. Stay safe everyone.

In Japan, under the Road Traffic Act, it is mandatory for anyone 13 years or younger to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. So it seems to be a matter of enforcement.

Sidewalks please with shrubbery to lessen impact.

RIP LITTLE ANGEL

Shrubbery lessens visibility methinks...maybe bollards at waist height in school pedestrian roads.

I guess the 78 y.o. driver will go to prison and likely die there.

Negligent driving causing death or similar offence.

Japan has far too many accidents involving elderly drivers driving into groups of school children, be they walking in groups or on bicycles. Always properly on sidewalks and getting hit from behind. Seems like a pattern but can't imagine a cause. It boggles the mind because when a driver loses control of a vehicle there are countless directions to point the vehicle away from people. Smashing into a wall or another car is far better than running over a group of children.

It seems that the head injury was the major problem. Hopefully more people will wear helmets after hearing this tragic news. It only takes 10 seconds to put on a helmet. Stay safe everyone.

They can help in minor scrapes but that thin layer of plastic and foam is not going to do much if you are run over by a truck.

Accidents caused by older drivers have been a concern in Japan.

Not only Japan, but the age group most likely to have an accident is 18-24, not the old folks. Any plans to ban them?

The fact that the driver was elderly is probably not important The main problem is police negligence. They don't crack down and enforce the traffic laws, so too many drivers become accustomed to racing along at whatever speed they please. Going 20-30 (or even 40) kph over the limit becomes normal, as does ignoring traffic signs. It's a nationwide phenomenon.

@OssanAmerica

In Japan, under the Road Traffic Act, it is mandatory for anyone 13 years or younger to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. So it seems to be a matter of enforcement.

I would be willing to bet you every yen I have that all of the children were wearing helmets.

Just stop with trying to pass the blame!

I’m surprised youngsters are riding bikes. I thought schools had strict rules against it. It’s all very sad. It’s an accident. My father was also killed by a driver. That old man will have some serious mental issues and I hope someone also cares for him. It was an accident a tragic accident and all involved prayers are headed your way.

BakabonPapa

I agree. I’ve never seen any speed bumps and I also live on a 1 way road and cars fly down it. Mine is even on a hill so it’s even worse. When I asked the city crews when they were redoing the road about a few speed bumps they thought my request was coming from outer space. They said there is a sign to go slow so people do. Sad.

Again

Mark GarrettToday  10:25 am JST

@OssanAmerica

In Japan, under the Road Traffic Act, it is mandatory for anyone 13 years or younger to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. So it seems to be a matter of enforcement.

I would be willing to bet you every yen I have that all of the children were wearing helmets.

Just stop with trying to pass the blame!

The one you need to addressis the op.

JapantimeToday  08:31 am JST

It seems that the head injury was the major problem. Hopefully more people will wear helmets after hearing this tragic news. It only takes 10 seconds to put on a helmet. Stay safe everyone.

Next time read te thread first.

Local areas need to get far tougher on re-authorizing driver's licenses for elderly. FSD can't come soon enough for society, eliminate human error and save lives.

リッチToday  10:33 am JST

I’m surprised youngsters are riding bikes. I thought schools had strict rules against it.

Most elementary schools prohibit students from riding bicycles to and from school for safety reasons. But as this accident happened at 4:35 pm Monday it "may" have been after school.

What I noticed most about Japan is once people have their license, all the rules and regulations about driving go straight out the window

R I P

The issue is a global one where bike lanes are nothing more than a line on the road - there need to be better rails or bumpers to protect bicycle riders

It is easy to blame the driver only, but often Japanese roads are ridiculously unsafe for pedestrians. No space to walk and no speed bumps or anything that keeps speed down, no separation between cars and pedestrians, and so on.

Another problem, young kids, especially boys, have poor judgment and situational awareness, so more and more parents like me sadly don't allow their kids to have bikes

I feel sorry abt lost of little one.

I’ve never seen any speed bumps and I also live on a 1 way road and cars fly down it.

No space to walk and no speed bumps ...

In a meeting with Machida-shi officials about widening the narrow road leading through our valley I asked to add speed bumps. The answer was: Speed bumps will damage cars. Literally: スピードバンプが車を傷つける。(Supīdo banpu ga kuruma o kizu tsukeru.). As long as you have people in charge who prioritize cars over humans, these kind of accidents will happen. No matter the age of the drivers. Town officials who refuse to add speed bumps should be thrown in jail if accidents happen. They are the ones who should be made responsible. Before that doesn't happen, nothing will change.

“Speed Bumps will Damage Cars” and CARS KILL PEOPLE

I've seen too many truck drivers small and big watching tv on their phones because the standard trucks don't have them. Not sure if that was the cause of this accident, but I see it all the time, especially the commercial trucks.

I saw this on NHK. The girls were going to a zoo very close by. The English translation in the story is incorrect, in that it was a 片側1車線 road, which is one lane in each direction, not a "one-lane street".

The accident spot is a downhill S curve. It looks like the truck ploughed through the girls and scraped the retaining wall along the outside of the curve. The road actually has a dedicated sidewalk with a railing, but it is on the opposite side of the road, where the zoo and a nearby kindergarden are located. The side of the road they were on only has a white line at the accident site, which is only 30m or so from the zoo entrance.

Just another day in Japan for cyclists of any age. I was hit in Tokyo, lucky to survive

Ground...

It is easy to blame the driver only, but often Japanese roads are ridiculously unsafe for pedestrians. 

Obviously you do not drive in Japan or do not understand Japanese driving rules.

If the road is "unsafe" the driver has the responsibility to NOT run over kids on bikes.

Where you come from in gaikoku may be different but not in Japan.

Most of the people of my parents’ generation I knew in my home country opted to quit driving when they reached sixty. ‘A taxi’s cheaper than Insurance’ was one reason but most if not all were aware of the risks involved as they got older. Community transport by volunteers, plus lifts from friends and family (with the latter often also paying for retainer contracts with local taxi firms) meant they didn’t lose their mobility at all. To say they automatically would is a straw man argument

A sad event with an unimaginable loss.

For persons who reach a certain age, there should be regular annual examinations of psysical and mental ability for participate in motor vehicle traffic. Based on the given criteria, the person's driving license is extended or revoked.

Kipling, why the agressiveness? I do drive in Japan and I do understand traffic rules. But I also understand that no matter rules and responsibilities, if a group of kids are walking on a road where they have 20 cm to walk, right next to the road, without guardrails or anything, accidents are more prone to happen than if there were walkways.

mu-da gave an accurate description of what renewing a driving license after the age of 70 entails but for some reason 5 people have given him a thumbs down. Why?

carpslidy tries to put the blame on the driver's family saying that they should have chauffeured him around but perhaps he does not have any family.

I suppose it might be useful to make mandatory retesting for drivers over a certain age. It wouldn't be very popular with them, but that's not the point of course. Also when police see them not driving well, they should pull them over and require them to take a test.

if a group of kids are walking on a road where they have 20 cm to walk, right next to the road, without guardrails or anything, accidents are more prone to happen than if there were walkways.

Doesn't make a blind bit of difference if the road is narrow , wide or kids are running blindfolded down the street. The driver has responsibility to drive in a safe manner. If he hits the kids, he has failed to do so.

Not my rule, I don't always agree with it but this is the rule in Japan.

He says he does not remember how it happened. The police have called it 'alleged negligence'.

Not trying to excuse him, but no one has mentioned the possibility that he may have been temporarily unconscious or ill. This kind of accident has happened with epilectics before here. Or maybe he was on the phone, or watching TV, or just misjudged his speed down the slope at the curve. A lapse of concentration.

Could happen to any driver at any age, but inevitably the rules for elderly drivers will get even tighter as a result. I have taken a couple of these mandatory refresher courses at 70 and 75. Between the lectures, tests and the practical driving round the course with an instructor, it's an all-day barrage of scary films and encouragement to hand in your license; each time one or two out of the ten or so class participants get weeded out.

Poor kids, and poor parents, though. So sad.

Seems there are a lot of sensitive eldery drivers on this page

In my families case my father had some health issues and we made him give up his license

My mother is younger and still drives but takes the bus or taxis usually . When it's needed I or a family member drives them.

I understand it's difficult to do without driving but there is no escaping reactions slow, eye sight worse and concentration poorer as you age. Especially after 75

Everyone is different at 75. Most of my friends are around this age and their driving is fine. Those with physical problems do seem to recognize this and are realistic about giving up. One has given up driving on medical advice.

The police are also at his house investigating the kei light truck driver’s background health now apparently. It has been reported that they found no appreciable skid marks on the road surface anywhere to indicate sudden braking. Among locals interviewed there were those saying people tend to speed on that section of road, and one man who often warned children to use the side of the road with the railings.

Mr. Kipling is right on where the responsibility lies, at least in negligence law in Common Law countries.

The duty of care owed is magnified on roads where it is known children walk, especially around certain hours.

Kids on the road are known to be a little unpredictable...they are kids....take MORE care.