Olympic vehicle injures 2 in suspected hit-and-run accident in Tokyo

Priority given to the Olympics rather than assisting the injured. What gave this driver the impression that he was all mighty and above the law? The Olympics perhaps?

Hopefully all this will stop in on week time after close of games on 8 Aug and some sanity will prevail

"I gave priority to transporting the Olympic staff member." 

...who wasn't an athlete? Charges, please.

Oh! Well then, by all means. The IOCLDPJOC, visiting dignitaries & athletes have been given ‘a pass’ on most laws, rules and protocols.

*- “The man was quoted by the police as saying, "I gave priority to transporting the Olympic staff member." -*

a bus carrying 11 table tennis players from France and Australia 

imagine sitting on a bus that long.... gruesome.

Read this ‘news’ TODAY while you have a chance!

This is actually the SECOND ‘hit & run’-type ‘incident’ in the news recently.

I gave priority to transporting the Olympic staff member

Sorry, but throw the book at them. Been a professional driver myself, and there are NO excuses.

But that's not letting the organisers of the hook either. This story probably has the key to why that hit and run happened.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14408545

Seems like the organisation of the transport is a total mess, so that's the kind of atmosphere an inexperienced person might do something dumb like drive away from the scene of an accident. If they run this multibillion yen sh!tshow on volunteers, it is on them to train them properly so they know in black and white what the priority is. You can just imagine those in charge backing off at top speed and leaving this volunteer driver to take all the blame. Not the toxic Olympic culture that made this person think that human lives and safety are less important than getting some jumped up official to some event in X time.

I wonder if they are even insured to do driving like a job.

Sounds like even paid drivers are being exploited and treated like disposable gloves.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14409081

Zoroto

Japan in a nutshell in the last 18 months.

Not just Japan, and not just in the last 18 months. The blind deference to authority is a universal problem.

Perhaps you ‘hope’ for too much @Jim 4:24pm:

*- @4;24p: “Hopefully all this will stop in on[e] week time after close of games on 8 Aug…*

The Paralympic Games don’t close up and leave town until AFTER Sep 6, 2021.

… and some sanity will prevail.” -

And then, Japan will be left with the remnants of the pandemic; the probable, continued economic downturn: AND possible, escalating “Crime” of this nature yet, with no BIG event or scapegoat to blame.

(Until … Osaka Expo 2025?)

The problem with the Tokyo Olympics fleet dispatching centers is they give priority to volunteer drivers while they keep professional drivers standby doing nothing much.

And mind you the professional drivers are paid just to hang around.

NONSENSE!

Plus most volunteers don't have a type 2 license that allows them to carry passengers.

Even though it is not illegal for a driver with normal license to carry a passenger if he doesn't get paid. The safety issue is something that can't be ignored.

Zoroto

No, only Japan has a sports day which takes precedence over the population.

The problem with the blind deference to authority does not take a break during the Olympics, if that is what you are suggesting.

Any Olympic athlete witnessing this disregard for safety and the well-being of other people must've been amazed!

Imagine the impression that this must leave those returning athletes and upon arrival in their home countries they will surely relate this depressing incident to all and sundry…

kurisupisu

Any Olympic athlete witnessing this disregard for safety and the well-being of other people must've been amazed!

The article said staff member, not athlete. I dont think athletes get private transport; in my local sports center which is used for Olympic training, they are bussed in and out.

Yes-thanks

Also on Sunday, a bus carrying 11 table tennis players from France and Australia was hit by a truck on the same expressway but no one was hurt, the police said.

In this incident the vehicles stopped I imagine?

LOL

Well, this kind of gross disregard for the well being of anybody not involved in the games is the example the people in charge are giving, is it so surprising even some of the volunteers are doing things like these?

"I gave priority to transporting the Olympic staff member." 

Giving priority to the Olympics over regular folk.... where have I seen that before? Oh, yeah, the entire J-gov and IOC for the last 18 months.

Bach said the Olympics must go on! The Japanese government followed, from the top down that has been the mentality of having the games put on therefore the logic of the driver is the same "The man was quoted by the police as saying, "I gave priority to transporting the Olympic staff member."

Olympics - the "gift" that keeps on giving.

Why does a coward hit-run act by Olympic officials not shock me in the least?

Scum.

Passenger is at fault too. If I was a passenger in a vehicle and the driver caused an accident, there is no way I am letting him leave no matter what type of hurry I'm in.

Sooo, no mention of a ticket or an arrest?

Was it perfectly fine because it was an “olympic” vehicle?!

More info here:

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14409145

Over the course of several kilometers, the driver in his 50s transporting officials involved in the Olympics repeatedly veered the vehicle into the walls of the expressway and rear-ended a light van as well as a truck, police said.

The case is just one of dozens of traffic accidents involving people connected to the Tokyo Olympics, police said.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, about 50 traffic accidents involving people related to the Olympics occurred in Tokyo over the week starting on July 23, the official opening day of the Games.

So that's even worse - this not only was quite a serious accident, and the two injured people were in a vehicle that was rear-ended, the driver apparently veered all over the place for several kms. He says he was taken ill.

I wonder if he was driving on unfamiliar roads, in an unfamiliar vehicle, under pressure to get the officials to their venue on time... The news articles don't give much info, but it does make you wonder if the drivers were properly trained, given time to get to know the vehicles, given proper breaks. Is the way the organisers set up the driver system legit? Do they have proper insurance to do what they're doing? Often with these kind of things, a legal grey area is exploited, and everything's fine. Until it's not.

It's an accident. Please stop no matter who your passenger is.

So far he hasn’t been arrested or charged. I won’t be surprised if the authorities sweep this under the rug just to show the Olympics went smoothly!

Note that hit and run is three times the points for ordinary folks, the same as DUI. Normally enough for an instant ban.

Kay is right in that there is a loophole in Japan in that its okay to carry passengers (here, strangers) on a regular license so long as the passenger is not paying. Its why there are free shuttle buses for leisure facilities, amusement parks, ski resorts, onsens etc, in Japan. If they charged a fare, they'd have to use a qualified bus driver with a Type 2 license. Many places use a microbus, 21(?) passengers, because that's the biggest thing that can be driven on the old o-gata truck license. The truck license is much easier to get and far more common than the Type 2 bus/taxi license.

I gave priority to transporting the Olympic staff member." The two injured women, who were riding in one of the cars hit by the Olympic-related vehicle, were taken to hospital, the police said.

Incredible! The staff member could have done the right thing and stepped in but seems to have done nothing to dissuade him. Charge both of them.

I have seen these transportation vehicles. The ones I saw are white with some lettering on the doors, and there are various types. Some are minivans and others are cars. A friend of mine sent me photo because one of the parking areas for these drivers is near his house in Nishi Shinjuku. He lives about 5 mins on foot near Chuo Park. The parking area is near an Elementary school around the corner from the park. He said it looks like the drivers are pretty much on call all night. It is kind of like being a taxi driver in Japan. He said most of them are just sitting in their cars with the occasional walk around. He told me he saw them sitting around after midnight yesterday when he went to walk their dog.

How much you want to bet he basically gets a pass?

@smithinjapan

"How much you want to bet he basically gets a pass?"

uh humm.