Man dies after being dragged by car for 70 meters in Ibaraki

Hope they catch this driver too but gotta say as a driver in japan it's a scary place.

How true. Accidents like this never happen in any other country except Japan. Never, ever, ever.

Not a single pedestrian has ever been killed or injured by a car in any other country. It only happens in Japan.

Make sure you remember that!

Being the victim of something like this is not necessarily worse than being the poor schmuck who has to pay the doctors.

That is the most idiotic thing I have ever read. In my life. Ever. And I mean it.

Japan really does need to do something about the laws that make the consequences for hitting someone with a car so severe that people feel they have to run away.

Great idea. Why apply this "logic" just to car accidents?

Let's apply it to all crimes -- even murder! Instead of life in prison or the death penalty, let's make the penalty for murder ... probation!

That way, murderers will be far less likely to attempt to evade arrest!

Thanks for the opportunity to engage in one of my favorite hobbies -- sarcasm!

The law may be strict, but with cases like this it's beyond that. I don't care if you have to go to jail for the rest of your life for denting someone's bicycle (as harsh as that is!)-- that does not justify killing another person and driving away from it like it didn't happen. That is a BLATANT disregard for human life. The laws shouldn't be so rough on drivers maybe, but there is no excuse for what this person did.

That said, I have to drive here too, and yet I find it more terrifying to be the person on the bicycle. I almost got hit the other day while on my bike, because it's totally true that everyone assumes the other person will stop. It's especially scary on those tiny narrow roads in the middle of no where.

Disillusioned: I hear ya.

I've been wondering how long it's going to take before the government decides to add motor vehicles to its list of deadly weapons that are illegal to possess, but maybe I'm just being overly cynical.

Only one hit and run this week? It's a slow week.

Theoretically, cars are supposed to stop at crosswalks, as pedestrians have the right of way, even here in Japan. Hard to believe isn't it?!? Has anyone ever seen a car stop for a pedestrian at a crosswalk, voluntarily, without being forced to stop?

this is a no brainer...you hit him and stop and get arrested. you hit him, leave the scene and might get away OR get arrested. This is only a moral issue if the driver was drunk. I drive in this country and too many times have I had to break hard or swerve to avoid hitting a cyclist or pedestrian that ignores signals. All the while knowing I'll be arrested if I cause injury for something that is another's fault for being irresponsible. The law causes this type of behavior. If it was changed you might have people actually stop and want to help the injured but there's no positive outcome for the driver whether they stop or not.

The street belongs to everyone – bikes, motorcycles, cars, whatever – that's the fact. But people obviously are not able to follow the rules. It's maybe the bikers fault, but whatever the reason is, hit and run is a crime which should be strictly punished...

Cyclists ride badly but still not a reason to start killing them.

Klein2:

OK, the dragged guy is 63, I feel sorry for him and all that, but the driver, even if he is insured, was facing probably half a million dollars in hospital bills if this guy were in a coma for any length of time. Being the victim of something like this is not necessarily worse than being the poor schmuck who has to pay the doctors.

Are you kidding me? If I could face the choice between hitting, dragging and killing you and then going to jail for a long time or being the victim, I would definitely choose the former.

Hit and run is big time here. I know because it happened to me. I got knocked out. Unfortunate this guy died. In one way, he does not have to do all of the paper work I am going through right now. Suc_s

Hope they catch this driver too but gotta say as a driver in japan it's a scary place. Bicycles, pedestrians and other drivers all assume the other will stop for them and the law is compleatly against the driver.

Agreed. Just the other day a cyclist launched himself at my car, damn near gave me a heart attack!

Yeah, in most countries the accident is the driver's fault, but personally I think any pedestrian or cyclist should be especially careful.

The law probably sees it as the driver having the deadly weapon, not the the cyclist. But I agree, care by pedestrians and cyclists should be lawfully upheld. No careful driver wants a death or serious injury on their conscience.

Yeah, in most countries the accident is the driver's fault, but personally I think any pedestrian or cyclist should be especially careful. Crash a car, you might walk away. Get crashed into/run over, and the chances of walking away are low. I ride 15km everyday and never take any unnecessary risks, the drivers here are just too scary/careless for me to risk my life.

Hope they catch this driver too but gotta say as a driver in japan it's a scary place. Bicycles, pedestrians and other drivers all assume the other will stop for them and the law is compleatly against the driver. Even if proved this old guy was drunk and just rode out into the crossing in front of the car the driver is still the one who will be charged and face jail time. Cant accept with hit then running but can easily understand why people do so often. RIP old dude.

Why does this always happen? Don't they teach you to stop in driving school in Japan

Actually, the car test is quite extensive here in Japan. And besides, this driver could have been the best in the world, but his disregard for other people clearly took over in this case. It's nothing to do with driving standards here, so don't worry.

Sometimes when you hit something, it just sounds like a bump. Of course in a car, you have no idea how much damage you do to other objects. I can imagine that if there is music blaring, or an intoxicated driver moving at speed, 70 meters goes by pretty fast.

The impulse is to get away. He probably could not imagine that he dragged the guy.

Can somebody please come up with a decent quip related to drag racing? Maybe I have done a public service by jumping the gun on that line of humor.

Want to comment on why the guy wanted to get away. Has anyone heard of someone's life being just totally ruined by something like this? OK, the dragged guy is 63, I feel sorry for him and all that, but the driver, even if he is insured, was facing probably half a million dollars in hospital bills if this guy were in a coma for any length of time. In never-heard-of-bankruptcy Japan, you basically become an indentured servant for life, assuming that you can avoid prison time. Being the victim of something like this is not necessarily worse than being the poor schmuck who has to pay the doctors.

Timorborder remarks about bike riding habits. Why not? Bicycle riders have not a care in the world. If they get tapped by a Mercedes, they have won the lottery. Maybe a few of them should get mowed down once in awhile. Keeps 'em honest and culls the herd.

Why does this always happen? Don't they teach you to stop in driving school in Japan

One hit is all it takes. While not willing to speculate on this guy's riding habits, I have to admit that I agree with AK. Some bike riders (old folks, mothers with children, kids, everybody) in this country seem to have a distinct death wish in terms of their situational awareness regarding motor vehicles, obstructions, whatever. There are also many riders who plug themselves into music, hold and umbrella in one hand, and try and do the mobile phone mail with the other. For such people, it is not a case of if they have an accident, but when.

Anyway turning our attention to the car (another hit and run), the person or persons in the vehicle will be toast once the cops get hold of them.

will you loose your job in japan when you hit someone with your car, AND NOT run away? Living here for half a year I get this feeling...

I bet this old guy just didn't care about his safety. I've seen some old folks just riding a bike in the middle of a busy street in Shinjuku and not caring if they get hit or not. I'm not saying its all his fault for being hit, but you have to be careful and not trust drivers out here. I always look back and forth before crossing the street. I'm always alert about traffic, because I know people drive real stupid and one tracked minded out here.

Like I tell my son, in Japan look left, look right, look left again, then look right again, then look left, right, left, right left, right etc while you are crossing the road.

RIP. Hard to imagine what was going through your mind as that heartless SOB kept on driving.

How in the world could you hit someone and then drag them along? You would think that hitting someone was bad enough, but to actually KEEP DRIVING and have them hanging off your car... Sick. I hope they find the person and punish them accordingly.

What a terrible death!! May his soul rest in peace. Hope the cops arrest the heartless driver so he can get what he deserves.

Poor guy, must have been terrifying for him.

There are many hit'n'runs in the UK every year, and each time I read about it I wish the law could be harsher on people who devalue a life with such an awful act.

If the car then runs over the person who was hit (imagine they were hit front on), they could easily be caught on the engine or another part of the car and then dragged along. You don't necessarily bounce off if hit by a car, you could go up on the hood and then fall under the car- lots of different scenarios.

smartacus - it depends on the kind of car, the speed and direction of both the vehicle and the bicycle. It's hard to say exactly what happened without all the details.

I still don't understand how someone can be dragged along. Surely, if a car hits someone on a bicycle, wouldn't they be knocked away?

Get the driver and bury that person. No reason for this.

Japan really does need to do something about the laws that make the consequences for hitting someone with a car so severe that people feel they have to run away.

A balanced penalty (or not, for a genuine accident) so people can do the right thing might just have saved this guy's life.

Tragic.

it'd be scary to hit a person with your car, but I'd be even MORE scared to drag someone knowing what'd be happening under my car...