Car driven by 79-year-old man runs onto sidewalk near Tokyo's Shinjuku Station; 5 injured

Driving onto the pavement in Tokyo traffic "by mistake" is not easy to do.

News said he was drinking tea, choked, panicked, tried to brake but stepped on gas instead.

Shouldn't be on the road. The errors that happen with age are not that different to those people make under the influential of alcohol.

Honestly when is Japan going to do something about this.

People here over 70 should not be allowed behind the wheel of any vehicle. Period.

People here over 70 should not be allowed behind the wheel of any vehicle. Period.

Don't be ridiculous. There are many, many young bad drivers, I see them every day. Are you going to give up your licence the day you hit 70?

Driver arrested?

People here over 70 should not be allowed behind the wheel of any vehicle. Period.

No. Please slow down your prejudices concerning elderly people. Not everyone over the age of 18 is a danger to the public. He was choking, could happen to any of us.

Yes, it's unfortunate that people were injured and I hope they recover soon without trauma but to vilify older members of the public is uncalled for.

There's a lot we can learn from our elders, mistakes and all included.

There needs to be a pass/fail system with actual teeth. As it is, the elderly are now forced to take senility tests to renew their license, but if they fail they can still get there license renewed -- they are just 'asked' if they won't give it up (much like many things here when "laws" aren't followed). They need to adjust it so that if they can't pass such a test, which should most certainly include reflex speed, they should not be able to renew. That seems fair enough to me.

He was drinking tea. Drinking anything while you're driving is a distraction and in a split second anything can happen. He should be charged with driving without due care and attention, just like he would be if he was using a cell phone.

When will the old age carnage stop in Japan? People over 70 cannot responsibly drive due to incapacity of their abilities. Period. All those old age defenders, your kids or grandkids have not been run over yet by some ancient person who cannot tell the gas and brake petal apart when they panic.

This happens everyday in Japan, only the most outrageous cases get reported. Old age drivers accidents are growing the fastest of any group in Japan.

The difference between young drivers and old drivers is that young drivers can drive well but sometimes do not and old drivers simply cannot drive well at all.

More city streets need to be car free. It will save lives.

The difference between young drivers and old drivers is that young drivers can drive well but sometimes do not and old drivers simply cannot drive well at all.

I hate doing anecdotage, I really do but I feel I must when it comes to such as the above statement. Over my years on this earth, I lost several friends due to young drivers.

I do not blame all young drivers for these tragedies. Because not all of them are driving under the influence, nor ignoring safety musts.

Please put the brakes on generalisations. It's not gaining points. People die on the roads for numerous reasons, it's not down to any particular demographic.

Younger drivers are still more dangerous.

When will the old age carnage stop in Japan? People over 70 cannot responsibly drive due to incapacity of their abilities. Period.

I would rather be in a car driven by a 70 year-old than an 18 year-old.

70 is still safe, but it is probably appropriate to start retesting people every couple of years from the time they are 70 and over.

By the time you are 80, it is probably time to stop, even if you have passed the re-tests. Saying that, my father was driving well into his 80s because he needed it to get to his tennis club.

Younger drivers are still more dangerous.

maybe but they can improve with experience

Crashed before he realized but he traveled quite far along that sidewalk by all accounts. Same as for sneezing while driving, why not try to slow down as soon as you feel it coming. And by slow down I don't mean jam on the brakes as this man seems to have tried (spectacularly unsuccessfully)...indicate & step off the accelerator until you know you're okay.

maybe but they can improve with experience

And old people will die, so problem solved either way. The point is that certain age groups are a higher risk. Before there is any talk about 70 year old drivers having to give up their license, we need to discuss 20 year old drivers losing theirs first.

"Don't drink and drive."

Obviously applies to ANY drinks!

Fact is that of all the various age groups is it the old that is growing in both numbers and in accidents. Young and middle aged people as a whole are having few accidents. Fatalities caused by old people driving is climbing dramatically. The Japanese government has called it a crisis. No such statements are made about other age groups. Japan is a super aging society and that is making driving

on the roads dangerous.

So you old age accident apologists, do some homework and find out who is creating the increasing risk on the roads in Japan. Old people may drive slower but they still are running over kids all the time due to incapacity physically or mentally.

Fact is that of all the various age groups is it the old that is growing in both numbers and in accidents. Young and middle aged people as a whole are having few accidents. Fatalities caused by old people driving is climbing dramatically.

...do some homework and find out who is creating the increasing risk on the roads in Japan.

Where to begin?

Over all age groups, the number of traffic accidents has gone steadily down over the past 15 years or so. There is no 'increasing risk on the roads'. The young are far and away the most accident-prone.

For insurance purposes the highest-risk drivers are teenagers (1.82%), followed by those in the early twenties (1.07%). Those in the early 70s (0.545%) are considered less of a risk than those in their early 30s (0.582%). Even the over-85s (0.744%) are less of a risk than those in their late twenties (0.754%).

The least-risk drivers are those aged 45 to 69 (0.472%~0.489%).

http://oshiemuscle-jidoshahkn.com/1469/

This shouldn't be about which age group is more dangerous.

The problem is that young bad drivers are just that - bad drivers. Elderly drivers could have been the safest driver on the planet in their youth, but for some, age impairs their skills and there is nothing that can be done to stop it.

I have no problem with elderly drivers, but testing does need to be stricter to try to catch the folks who might be developing dangerously slower reaction time or confusion about which pedal is which (it doesn't just happen when someone is choking).

Bad drivers have a chance to be fixed. Sadly, there's not much that can be done about the loss of skills do to age. Should we do more to train some young driver's? Probably, but that's not the issue here. We definitely need to require driver's over a certain age to test more often.

Here in the US, nothing is done because people cry that it is a violation of the elderly's rights to require them to take a driving test more often. That's BS and I'll throw my parents car keys in the sewer if I ever think they are a danger behind the wheel (ok, not really, but you get the idea)

Ah_soJan. 16  04:39 pm JST

Shouldn't be on the road. The errors that happen with age are not that different to those people make under the influential of alcohol.

Agreed. I'm all in favor of mandatory retesting after age 65 or so. My parents' insurance company even gave them a discount when they passed a voluntary driving exam.

Here in the US, nothing is done because people cry that it is a violation of the elderly's rights 

It is.

Bad drivers have a chance to be fixed.

What makes young drivers bad drivers is their lack of maturity and experience. Maybe they should be banned from driving till they're older and their immaturity is 'fixed' - mid-thirties maybe?

@Bugle Boy of Company B

Here in the US, nothing is done because people cry that it is a violation of the elderly's rights 

It is.

That's funny because as a teenager, at least in the US, you are taught to take driving seriously because it is a privilege, not a right. So tell me how taking away an elderly person's license because they are a danger to others is somehow violating their rights, when driving itself is not a right?

Not to mention, no one is advocating all drivers over a certain age have their licenses revoked, only that they require additional testing. To think that the right to drive is more important than the safety of others is ignorance.

@cleo

What makes young drivers bad drivers is their lack of maturity and experience. Maybe they should be banned from driving till they're older and their immaturity is 'fixed' - mid-thirties maybe?

I don't know the answer to that. I would say more extensive testing or training would be a good start, but I was never arguing about whether young drivers are good or bad, I am only discussing what needs to be done in this case about ensuring unsafe elderly drivers are taken off the road before they become a danger to themselves and others.

This so matter,  If will be compared to the same subject, That happened to other countries. Is a terrorist matter. With the distance of people in the community, very far up to 30 meters.  The driver drove on the sidewalk.  Please see the CCTV camera for that matter.  I think, The government must seize the driver's license. Do not ride a car for life. Because the old man lacks serious caution.