Two sisters aged 5 and 7 died after the car their mother was driving, and a bus collided head-on in Fukuoka City on Sunday.
The accident occurred along National Route 263 in Sawara Ward at around 11:10 a.m., NHK reported.
Police said the girls’ mother, who is in her 30s, suffered an injury to her left leg. The sisters were taken to hospital, in a state of in cardiac arrest, and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Three of the 10 passengers on the bus sustained minor injuries.
The accident occurred on a gentle curve with one lane on each side. Police said the bus driver told them that "a light passenger vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane crossed the center line."
© Japan Today
57 Comments
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リッチ
Sadly no mention of car seat and if it was used properly. Seeing it was omitted suspect two were not in use.
CAPTAIN
Avoid k-cars guys. Seriously!
Jonathan Prin
No seatbelt 100% sure.
Why is it always omitted to be mentioned, as a reminder for all parents ?
USNinJapan2
It's almost a certainty that the two children weren't properly restrained, e.g. booster seat or buckled up, in the back seat where they both should have been riding vice the front seat. Judging by the visible damage, this accident was totally survivable for any occupant of the car with only minor injuries if any. I would think distracted driving by the mother was the probable cause. Poor girls. RIP to both.
tora
Sounds like a defect in the steering. The poor girls.
obladi
Well, you guys said exactly what I was going to say: probably the little girls were just bouncing around without seatbelts or child seats. We have all seen this a million times. I even had to fight with my own in-laws to use them when my kids were small.
Apparently, there is no Ralph Nader in Japan.
smithinjapan
I'm going to predict none of them were wearing seatbelts, and I'm also going to predict the family will now realize how important seatbelts can be.
GuruMick
RIP little ones.
Cars crossing over marked lines on curves a daily occurrence where I live.
Bad drivers.
parforthecourse
Seatbelts were in use.
Try getting information from more than one news source before making judgments, please. That is one of the problems with this world nowadays.
Carl Smith
Just have to look at that car to know the children were most likely not wearing seatbelts. Rear passenger is fully intact.
Hawk
I checked a few and couldn't find that information. Please provide a link.
parforthecourse
I checked a few and couldn't find that information. Please provide a link.
No link. It was reported in the Japanese tv news.
parforthecourse
I checked a few and couldn't find that information. Please provide a link.
No link. It was reported in the Japanese tv news.
rainyday
Yeah, looking at the photo it seems this should have been a survivable accident for two kids properly buckled up in the back seats. Seems likely they were not.
Parents here really have to start taking these things seriously.
parforthecourse
Yeah, looking at the photo it seems this should have been a survivable accident for two kids properly buckled up in the back seats. Seems likely they were not.
Parents here really have to start taking these things seriously.
Watch the Japanese news. It was clearly reported that seatbelts were used. If the mother initially lied, and the J Police released that info without corroborating - or the news network reported misinformation - that’s another issue.
But what has been reported is that seatbelts were in use.
Hawk
parforthecourse,
Yeah, I found the quote from a neighbour who rescued them, saying, according to the auto-translate: "Both of the two in the back were wearing their seat belts properly,""
Doesn't mention seats, though. Just a thought.
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/37fccbbdf24d6d88dd9b6647321ecf142922bfb6
piskian
Sad.
Please make sure all children are buckled up in appropriate child seats at all times,no matter how short the journey.
Alongfortheride
CAPTAINToday 04:58 pm JST
Avoid k-cars guys. Seriously!
Looking at the picture the car did exactly as designed and crumpled in the front. Look at the doors, no damage. The problem is education on seatbelts for children. The same outcome would have happened in any kind of vehicle. The car suddenly stops when it hits something but the children with no seatbelts don't!
browny1
They may well have been wearing seatbelts, but more details are required as the nature of the restraints.
By law some kind of booster seating would be necessary for such young kids and if not by law, common sense would dictate such as necessary - unless they were really big & tall little kids.
Adult sized belts across the neck region would be deadly esp in a front on collision.
That cars crumple zone worked as intended and the mother had only minor injuries. Most of the car is untouched. All points to inadequate restraining.
Maybe more info will come out.
rainyday
Just looked it up and you are right, I stand corrected.
Antiquesaving
Seatbelts "in use".
Now:
So in theory it is "legal" to use a regular seatbelt for the 7 year old but the 5 year old needed to be in a proper safety seat or booster seat, was she? Did the news say?
As for the 7 year old, as a father, when my children were 5, 6, 7, 8 even 9, both were very small, regardless of the law, both continued to be seated in booster seats because adult designed seatbelts would have been of little use for their tiny size
So the question is were the children in appropriate seats by law and by common sense?
nandakandamanda
Just a terrible accident.
The police will probably charge her with 'zenpo fuchui', something like driving without due care and attention. Whether she was using her phone will be something they'll be looking at, but there is already punishment enough for this poor distracted mother.
nandakandamanda
They need a renewed campaign for proper use of appropriate seatbelts in Japan, especially for children in cars.
Jonathan Prin
I thought Japan was looking after their children and demography...
RIP to 2 little girls.
I am also a father of 2 girls so it stings me.
I had give a lesson to my children who were not keen to buckle up when around 6.
I stopped suddenly warning them judt a few seconds before, from 20km/h to 0.
They understood by being frightened a little. And never complained again ever to fasten their seatbelt.
Antiquesaving
Speaking from experience.
I used to work in emergency services (Ambulance/rescue), I cannot recall a single instance where in a head on crash resulted in the driver or front passenger received less severe injuries than the passengers seated in the rear except when those in the rear were not using seatbelts, no child seat or booster seat or the child seat /booster seat were improperly used or installed.
In every case where the rear passengers were seriously injured or killed and the driver had non life threatening injuries, it was always those in the rear seat not or improperly restrained.
Unless the images I found are missing something the damage is clearly confined to the front both rear sides are fairly intact (considering the situation no broken windows no crushed doors.
The only possible but highly unlikely situation I can think of is chest trauma from the restraints, but that is rare IF the safety restraints were used properly.
I have seen this but in every case the person was not wearing the seatbelt correctly, meaning fitted around the hips tightly and properly against the chest.
In all cases the belt was loose and the person lunged forward and when the belt lock engaged they hit the belt with enough force to cause cardiac arrest or internal damage.
The above is for both adults and children.
The other one I have seen involving only children is neck injury caused by the seatbelt without child seat or booster seat, the seatbelt is places on the child in the regular car sear but instead of crossing over the chest and shoulder, the seatbelt is directly at the neck, so when the car crashes the belt lock right across the neck resulting in a broken neck or crushed throat.
I saw way too many of all the above in my time in emergency services, I have tried for years to tell people especially with chicken, and heard every excuse.
If you value your life or those of your loved ones read the instructions, watch some car seat safety videos and make sure everyone follows the proper way to wear a seatbelt and use if child seats and booster seats.
One last thing:
I can assure you the men and women that tried to save this little girl from the fire department, ambulance crew, to the doctors and nurses will not easily forget this one, as tragic as it is for the family, these situations rip the emergency service people inside.
It has been over 30 years since I left the services but I still remember the children.
So use your heads keep your family safe follow the proper instructions and laws.
WoodyLee
These TOY cars are Death Traps and should have never been allowed on the roads.
Just look at the so called FRAME there is NONE.
Antiquesaving
Johnathan, you are a father with good common sense and that cares for your children.
Sadly judging by certain votes here, there are those that don't seem to care or take these situations or possiblity of an accident seriously.
nandakandamanda
My J wife thinks she may be charged with causing death by dangerous driving and possibly facing jail time.
This may or may not be true, but I must confess the possibility had not crossed my mind.
john b
i lay on the horn whenever i see a car cross the center line. i also lay on the horn when i see an oncoming driver using a keitai. if everyone did this, the place would sound like india. perhaps the third world noise levels would suggest to people that we are heading toward a third world safety situation.
john b
'Sounds like a defect in the steering."
maybe you meant:
'Sounds like a defect in the person steering.'
carp_boya
There’s a big difference for small kids between wearing seatbelts, and being strapped into a child seat.
Alongfortheride
The car did exactly what its designed to do. Take a look at the door gaps completely around the car, no damage to the interior at all. So the death trap you mention is actually the parent who does not strap their children into seatbelts.
aaronagstring
I agree. Don’t understand the hysteria surrounding K-cars. Modern versions are much safer than before. My car, a Suzuki Wagon-R won JNCAP car of the year in 2017. That’s the same NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) that Top Gear and UK safety experts use.
SwissToni
The car is a good monocoque design, with little body deformation it clearly has done its job well. One of the disadvantages of smaller cars in a head on collision is the rate of deceleration. Kids aren’t as robust as adults and even strapped in are particularly vulnerable to sudden stops. A smaller vehicle colliding with a larger one will bear the brunt of the stopping forces due to the larger vehicles extra mass. And if there’s any level of speed involved the forces are greatly magnified. K cars are absolutely built to exacting standards but you can’t overcome physics. It’s a tragedy, the only way to avoid this situation is drive well and stay in the correct lane.
Abe234
If you can, please watch because I think parents, kids and passengers in a car need to understand what happens if you don't wear a seat belt.
I know mum may have said she used a seat belt, but it is so rare for the driver to walk away, and other passengers to get killed, if they are wearing a seat belt. Something isn't right.
https://youtu.be/JEtDbnnPnj8?si=GGRKEim5bzwLQ5ua
I wish Japan would put these on TV.
https://youtu.be/mKHY69AFstE?si=kteX0dn7Lkm8xzHD
Clunk Click Every trip. Stuck in my mind.( Pardon the man who made that CM).
Antiquesaving
This may be true but that is why children need to not be in just the car's with just the seatbelt.
If they are in appropriate child seats that are correctly installed then the danger is greatly reduced.
Child seats do not remain stuck in place, they are designed to "move" in a way to absorb a portion of the "shock" reducing the amount transfered to the child.
Booster seats less so and that is why larger shock absorbing child seats are now on the market as alternatives to older booster seats.
The law states under 6 must be in age appropriate child seats/booster seats but if you read most car makers manuals and child seat safety manuals they usually go not by age but by height and weight of the child.
So as with my son who at 9 was short and skinny and was the same size as his 5 and 6 year old cousins, I kept him in an appropriate booster seat. This was a long time ago and if it was today I would have him in a newer type high back booster seat with anchoring like a child's seat.
Again the padding is designed to compress to reduce the impact against the child's chest.
These high back booster seats are for children over 18kg to under 45kg.
Abe234
If the girls were wearing seatbelts as the person said, then something wasn't right. Were they on properly? Were kids seats used? If not, they should be by law.
How many police offiicers, doctors, nurses, fire crew, victims have to suffer because of a loop hole in the law, or the politicians don't mandate it. or the police can't enforce it because there is no FINE.
I don't know, but more needs to be done. I gotta feel bad not just for mum, dad and the grand parents but the bus driver must be questioning his own mind. What if i did this? did i miss something? could i have done more?
He/she is going to have to carry that guilt for the rest of their puff.
Antiquesaving
See my previous posts.
Japan has laws and at least the 5 year old by law should have been in a child seat .
The problem in Japan is enforcement.
I drive nearly every day for work, and not a single drive even the shortest goes by without seeing a car go by with an unrestrained child jumping around.
And I have watched countless times police go by and do nothing.
The same with people using their smartphones while driving.
If the police actually enforced the rules and started handing out tickets at every single occasions, people will eventually get the message.
nandakandamanda
Someone going around handing out minus points, especially for Antiquesaving. Seems a strange thread to choose for it though. Some personal animosities at work?
SwissToni
I agree and what you say is particularly true for rearward facing baby seats. However there are limits to what can be accomplished with padding, shells, load bearing straps and more lately even airbags. I’m sure it’s not beyond engineering to design products that will provide near 100% protection but we live in the real world where affordability is also a factor. Even when getting everything right, no ones safety can be guaranteed. It’s a tragedy when the compromises we make impact kids the most. Irrespective of who’s to blame for the collision, my thoughts are with the parents.
Chabbawanga
Kids were probably standing between the two front seats like they usually are.
Samit Basu
@Abe234
Seat belt won't do it for young children under than 9. Car seats are a must for children under 9.
Jonathan Prin
I understand why such deaths in Japan carry with downvotes for people sharing their experiences and giving advice. So sad.
Glad that in Europe no one is questioning why adapted seats are compulsory.
Japan should move to make a campaign on road accidents.
gogogo
Japanese police need to crack down more on not wearing seatbelts.
The attitude of I am a safety driver and won't get into an accident is one that is too accepted and just the wrong thinking.
Antiquesaving
Try, that I am tired of having to avoid distracted drivers because they are trying to control their children jumping around or looking at their phones.
I don't see what is strange to point out the lack of enforcement of child seat laws by the police in a thread about 2 children dying in a car crash where the driver only sustained "leg injuries".
Try thinking hard, head on collision with a city bus and the driver of a Kei car steering column in front of her gets leg injuries but the 2 children die and we can presume that at least one has to be in the rear seat.
The driver crossed the line into the on coming trafic, why? Was she distracted? If distracted was it the children or was it a smartphone, I have seen both far to often.
In over 30 years driving in Japan 2 things cause me to use my car horn and now increasingly more often, distracted drivers using smartphones and parents dealing with children not properly seated.
Most times it is at red lights when the car in front just sits there long after the light has turned green, you can see them using their phone or not looking forward as they turn around to deal with unrestrained children.
This situation is the least dangerous that is until all the cars behind beep their horns and the driver without checking reacts and speeds off often through the now again red light.
I value my life and that of my family and friends that may be passengers in my car and fools not following the law being distracted put our lives at risk.
Hawk
Yeah. No kidding. That's why I made the point.
aaronagstring
Yep. I recently renewed my license at the local cop shop, and had to spend the obligatory hour watching a video that dealt solely with driver awareness regarding cyclists - not one of the cyclists wore a safety helmet, I might add - but I always feel that the time would be better spent educating and reaffirming J-drivers about the use of smartphones etc and of wearing seatbelts. I’m British, so driver compulsory seatbelt wearing for drivers began in 1983 and 1991 for rear passengers (thanks Wikipedia, I’d forgotten).
And thank you to Abe234 for posting the elephant safety vid. Remember it well.
Antiquesaving
I previously wrote " I have heard all the excuses" and " I can't afford" is top of the list.
If they can afford to buy and maintain a car, they can afford a child's safety seat even a really expensive one especially in Japan where owning a car is not cheap.
If they cannot afford to do both (own a car and get child seats) then they should take public transportation.
Perhaps, when people with children renew their driver's license, they should have to sit through unedited videos and photos of children after their head have hit the front windshield, darshboard, backseat or side window?
Because once you have seen these, you have a hard time getting the image out of your head and when you are the one actually on sight having to deal with the situation you never get it out of your head as will likely be the situation of the first responders.
Jonathan Prin
A shame Antiquesaving gets downvoted. A shame as he is trying to save lives through experience sharing ! I can't even understand how is that possible. Children's life at stake.
Strangerland
I think it’s more a reflection of really bad ideas rather than an argument against the fundamental idea of keeping kids safe.
Antiquesaving
What really bad ideas?
You mean enforcing the laws that already exists like mandatory child seats and not using phone while driving?
Such a crazy idea, right? I mean why enforce laws design to save lives, or is it more you as usual just have to be contradictory because someone you don't like said something?
Coulda been
Be relevant to discover where the kids were seated and if suitably restrained.
In any event, two young lives gone. RIP
SwissToni
Antiquesaving: your experiences have clearly left their mark on you, and your position is understandable but a perfect world is unrealistic. Most people do the very best they can with the resources available to them. Most people also make mistakes. Whatever error or omission the mother of the two children has made, if any, she will now bear the consequences for the rest of her life. It’s a tragic story.
Abe234
I agree totally. Kids dropped of at kindergarten and NO SEATBELT, NO CHILD SEAT. The police IMHO should sit at kindergartens and fine these parents, grandparents. The law is only as good as the enforcement. If only they'd spend more time stopping parents with kids in cars, instead of a gaijin on a bike.( but thats important too).
Agree. But I'll take something over nothing.
I wonder if it is possible to add airbags on the rear of the front seat headrests if that "may" help, ( it may be more dangerous) but the Japanese cops have some responsibility here, as do the politicians, for not having robust enough laws.
I still get the chills when I remember some kid sticking their head up out of the car and hitting the top of a railway bridge or something a few years ago.
As for smartphones. I've been guilty of that. The weak point here is the human factor.
USNinJapan2
Both children in the backseat were wearing seatbelts but neither was seated in a child seat as mandated by law for the 5 y/o and recommended for the 7 y/o. Police are proceeding with charges of negligent driving fatality against the mother.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKgRUkDvWt0
Jonathan Prin
Adult size seatbelts useless for small size children. Common sense.
How also some say This is just the way it was bound to happen...if thinking this way, we'd remain cavemen !
SwissToni
USNinJapan2 good link, the video is very clear. The much smaller car travelling against the oncoming traffic pretty much bounced off the bus. The report says no child seats in use at all.
Still have sympathy for the woman’s loss but she demonstrated a lot less than her best for her kids.