19-year-old, without license, arrested after fatal car crash in Chiba
CHIBA —
Police said Monday they have arrested a 19-year-old man following a car accident on Sunday in which one man was killed and two youths injured. Police said the suspect—who had no driver’s license—was driving with three friends at 6:30 a.m. when the car struck a telephone pole in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture. The man in the passenger seat, who has been named as Tsuyoshi Hagiwara, 20, died in the crash, while two youths in the rear seat sustained minor injuries.
During police questioning, the driver was quoted by police as saying he was trying to turn down the music volume on the car stereo and was not looking at the road at the time of the accident. According to a report on TV Asahi, police plan to charge the suspect with vehicular manslaughter and driving without a license.
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0
Nicky Washida
Im just glad he didnt kill any innocent pedestrianor other driver.
1
Disillusioned
In Oz you can get your licence at 17. In the US you can get your licence at 16. In Japan you can get your licence at 20, but I am yet to see a Japanese 20 year old the emotional maturity and common sense to drive a car.
1
cleo
18 for an ordinary license, 21 for a heavy goods vehicle, 16 for a moped.
Very, very few teenagers of any nationality demonstrate the 'emotional maturity and common sense' to drive in traffic. There's a reason car insurance is more expensive for younger drivers.
From the AA:
1 in 5 drivers are involved in a crash during their first year on the road
Male drivers aged under 21 are 10 times more likely to have a car accident than male drivers aged 35 or over
Young drivers have a higher proportion of crashes at night than older drivers
1 in 8 British drivers are under 25, but a quarter of drivers who die in traffic collisions are in this age group
In 2007, 40% of passengers killed or seriously injured - meaning lost limbs, paralysis, brain injury and other life-changing injuries - were in a car driven by a young driver
Same trend in every country.
0
timeon
Disillusioned, you can get the normal car license at 18 in Japan, 20 is for large vehicles. And you can get the motorcycle license at 16
1
Oracle
A little dogmatic. Skill and experience are just as much an issue.
I did not have any accidents until coming to Japan, and I was 23 and had been practicing driving off the road from 15 and actually driving on the road since 16. Of course, I also had a lot of lawn mower driving experience too. And I did lots fo things you and I both would consider immature. It was skill that saved me. That said, your statement of "very, very few" is a little extreme.
I also think its a little hasty to say every country is the same. Upbringing makes a huge difference, and that is also core to my situation. Those who treat teens as kids have kids for teens, and then wind up with adult children who act like teens. I don't think every country is doing that.
-2
cleo
Oracle -
Maybe you were one of the lucky 4 in 5?
I'm willing to be persuaded. Can you provide a list of countries where teenagers get the kind of upbringing that enables insurance companies to charge them the same insurance premiums as older drivers?
Moderator
Such a list won't be necessary because the discussion is veering off topic. All readers, please focus your comments on what is in the story.
1
Oracle
All I am saying is that, without ever having met the driver, it is just as likely as anything that what caused the crash was his lack of experience. He might be much more mature and better raised than you expect.
Its really only through experience that I know that it might seem my hand has not moved as I look away, that it actually has moved slightly. And that little bit will take you off the road in no time. This matches his words.
-1
saru_au
2 things in this story astound me... "Police said Monday they have arrested a 19-year-old"
so why don't they arrest some bozo-bikers ?
and "19-year-old man"
since when is a 19-year-old a man in Japan, usually they're kids until 21 ?
-1
smithinjapan
Cleo: "1 in 5 drivers are involved in a crash during their first year on the road"
That means 80% are not.
Anyway, thank you for clarifying the ages of licenses... was going to do it myself, but you beat me to it. Anyway, the kid did not have a license, and that is the point. I just wish the police did a better job of finding these people BEFORE an accident than after. It's tough, I'm sure, but perhaps checking cars outside of 安全セフティ week might help? I agree with a poster above -- at least in this case no pedestrians were killed.
0
Oracle
saru_auAug. 15, 2011 - 07:28PM JST
The word "man" has no strict definition and was never even defined by law, the entity whose words you seem determined to bend to.
I am sure the community at large would agree he is a man at 19, and not some kid. Some might patronize him and call him "otoko no ko", but that is not to say they actually think that word logically fits.
0
Serrano
I'll bet the guy who died wasn't wearing a seatbelt.
0
Mirai Hayashi
20 is the "legal" age in Japan, not 21. When the media refer a teenager as a "man" or "woman", it's their way of further emphasizing the criminal element in the story. If they had referred to him as a boy, it would have sounded as the media was downgrading the incident as an unfortunate accident, or a juvenile's lack of judgment rather than a serious crime.
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my2sense
I hear cars and motorcycles screaming the streets at 5AM. If I am up I will take a peek and they are usually going 80-100 mph and music blasting, all over the road. This is about an accident but better put the cops do **** all to stop these guys due to....well you know you why.
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Al Stewart
I think that the charges are fair. He should also not be able to get a license for several years. Also reckless endangerment.
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