crime

Driver arrested after his car hits 3 boys crossing street

22 Comments

Police in Gosen, Niigata Prefecture, have arrested a 24-year-old man after the car he was driving hit three young boys as they were crossing a street.

According to police, the three boys, aged 8, 10 and 11, were walking on a pedestrian crossing at around 5:10 p.m. Saturday when they were hit by a car driven by Makoto Matsuo, a company employee. Matsuo has been charged with reckless driving resulting in injury, Sankei Shimbun reported.

The three boys were taken to hospital with head injuries but their condition is stable, police said Sunday.

There are no traffic lights at the pedestrian crossing. The boys were on their way to a convenience store, police said.

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22 Comments
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I hope the boys are okay.

Pedestrian crossings in Japan are marked for drivers by two diamond shapes on the road. My kids like those quiz shows you get on tv, and when this road marking came up, the question said something like half of drivers didn't know what it meant.

We have a crossing near us on a main road that trucks and cars go through at 80km/h. The two diamonds, even if you understand them, are well within the braking distance of someone going that fast. Two months of the year, the white diamonds are hidden under snow on the road. You also get all manner of clutter along the road in Japan, gaudy adverts, businesses with flashing lights, road signs for places at unnecessarily short intervals, etc. so pedestrian crossings can easily be lost in all of that. So better marking is important, along with better manners from drivers.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

DisillusionedNOV. 27, 2016 - 04:59PM JSTThere is a crossing in front an elementary school near my house. The speed limit is 30kph, but nearly everybody is doing 50-80kph going passed the school and nobody stops for the kids. I've seen quite a few near misses and drivers that push their way through the kids as they are crossing.

You can give out more speeding tickets but this will not stop. Best solution is to install speed bumps on all schools. This works 24/7 with minimum cost. It will save few lives.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

You all should try driving in Okinawa. It's even worse here! Stay safe, everyone. Hope those boys will recover very soon.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Truly tragic. A very sad accident.

I doubt anyone really wants to discuss the matter. I am sure that people feel that Japan needs yet another traffic light. Sure. And people need to drive more slowly. Yep. And let's raise standards for driving licenses. Yeah.

Well, we know people are not going to do that. So let me tell you my ... concern... What is up with people wearing the darkest possible clothes when they go out walking at night? And I sure don't see as many lights and reflectors as I did, maybe even only 5 years ago. Is it blaming the victim to say that peds and cyclists don't seem to be doing their best to avoid getting smacked by inattentive drivers? If the goal is camouflage, I would totally get it, but I think the last time I saw a cyclist at night wearing either a light colored jacket or pants/trousers was.... about 2006.

I will grant that these kids were hit at dusk at a ped crossing. Actually, 5 10 in Niigata is I would say DARK, and I don't know what they were wearing. But I will lay odds it was not dayglo with an LED light in the hand of each of them.

Rain gear used to be yellow and .... ugly really... but it would really stand out when drivers have decreased vision.

This kind of accident? It is going to happen again and again no matter what drivers do. Sad to say that pedestrians need to take the offensive by being more defensive.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

frenchosa: On my way to work I cross a zebra crossing with a big blue pedestrian crossing sign overhead. It was me and a man about eighty years old at the curb.. nobody was letting us pass, so I got a little aggressive and stepped out a bit. ...

A better signal is needed than just standing at the curb and looking hopeful, sometimes people are just standing around, and expecting a driver to keep on top of everything else plus divine the intentions of curb standers is a bit much ... like an upraised hand, 'STOP'. With a flat, wiggling hand for 'STOP, TAXI', to prevent confusion with taxi hailers. Or something like that. Anyway, maybe that is what the drivers are looking for.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

On my way to work I cross a zebra crossing with a big blue pedestrian crossing sign overhead. It was me and a man about eighty years old at the curb.. nobody was letting us pass, so I got a little aggressive and stepped out a bit. A taxi had to jam the brakes a little and sneered at me... I pointed to the blue sign and sneered back... while this was happening another car from the opposite direction.. just zoomed bye... This would never happen in the States...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@cosmos1, well ... it was the opinion of both insurance lol

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Wouldn't like three other cars slam into the one that stopped, from behind?

No, turbo. They're much too concerned about their precious bodywork.

Another danger of having to share real estate with traffic (be it at signals or zebra-striped crossings) is that the car in front models the behaviour for subsequent cars (he did it, so I can, too), and a pedestrian can then be stranded in the middle of the street, with increased and accelerating traffic going both ways.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Driver's don't stop at pedestrian crossings in Japan. The J-cops would do well to start ticketing for this offense.

Wouldn't like three other cars slam into the one that stopped, from behind?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

i was in my right 100%.

sorry it's your opinion , But You are guilty .

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Driver's don't stop at pedestrian crossings in Japan. The J-cops would do well to start ticketing for this offense.

It is things like this that makes me wonder what is taught/learned at the 300,000yen driving school that most attend before getting their license.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I don't know ... but i'm 39 years old soon, been driving in france, belgium, italy, germany, and even Bangkok, never had accident, i came to japan 2 years ago.. and bam .. i got my first accident, i was in my right 100%. I don't wanna be rude .. but i think japanese don't drive as good as they think.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

A moment's lapse of concentration. Ageism, or what younger people tend to have accidents due to lack of experience, almost all can be taught to be better drivers through added training and experience, many elderly lack the dexterity and reflexes to continue driving, no amount of training or experince will bring that back. Which is why many need to surrender their licenses and stop driving.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I am a regular driver from 1993 and I have a gold license for more than a decade.I drive so safe that other drivers don't like me.Even pedestrians doubt me when I wait them to cross.

In all these years,I got parking tickets twice way back.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

BTW, where are the JT critics who always jump on old people? This kind of accident is caused by people of all age groups. A moment's lapse of concentration. Ageism, or what?

nandakandamanda - what does a young(ish) bad driver have to do with the growing problem of elderly senile drivers in Japan?

because this guy was under 30, am I supposed to stop worrying about my 83-year old, glassy-eyed and oft confused neighbour when he pulls out of his driveway every morning?

I'll concentrate on the disaster I can see coming, thanks very much.

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

When I cross the road with the kids I always stare down the drivers and make sure they come to a complete stop. Never trust cars in this country, some of them (even buses) simply don't give a crap about anyone but their own time.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

so childrens will need to wear helmet when they walk ... soon

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Disillusioned: I can only agree. I live near a school street and I see drivers going too fast and not stopping for children or others all the time. Sometimes they go so fast they go over red because they would have to hit the brakes like crazy. This is not rare around where I live. The number of reckless drivers is concerning.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Thank god, these kids are not killed. Wish them quick recovery.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I often wonder what the point of pedestrian crossings is in Japan. Cars never stop for them. I've had cars swerve around me on a crossing. There is a crossing in front an elementary school near my house. The speed limit is 30kph, but nearly everybody is doing 50-80kph going passed the school and nobody stops for the kids. I've seen quite a few near misses and drivers that push their way through the kids as they are crossing. I'm very surprised the kinds of accidents in this article don't happen a lot more often. Oh, by the way, was he playing Pokemon Go?

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Driver's don't stop at pedestrian crossings in Japan. The J-cops would do well to start ticketing for this offense.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

A sad story indeed.

BTW, where are the JT critics who always jump on old people? This kind of accident is caused by people of all age groups. A moment's lapse of concentration. Ageism, or what?

6 ( +11 / -5 )

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