Stage 2 Course Content 9 — Common Characteristics of Accidents and the Tragic Effects of Accidents

1. Common Characteristics of Actual Accidents

Vehicles are convenient and comfortable transport, but at the same time, if you use a vehicle improperly, it can be a deadly weapon that causes tragic traffic accidents. Traffic accidents are a major social problem and every year, a lot of people lose their precious lives in traffic accidents. In recent years, accidents resulting in death or injury in which senior citizens are involved as either an injured party or injuring party are prominent. Among them, accidents in which a senior citizen is involved while crossing a road occur very often.

1. Characteristics of Traffic Accidents

1. When accidents occur

Many fatal accidents take place during the hours from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The reasons why many fatal accidents occur during these hours include the facts that driver's recognition and judgment are delayed because of difficulty in getting information necessary to drive compared to during the day, that vehicles can speed easily due to low traffic volume, that the power of attention declines, etc.

2. Where accidents occur

The most likely place where fatal accidents occur is at or near intersections. This is because intersections are the places where the traffic that goes up and down and the traffic that goes right and left intersects with each other, and vehicles and pedestrians proceed being involved with other traffic. The accidents on single roads take the second place. This result is related to the fact that drivers can speed easily and often drive recklessly on single roads. The third place is the accidents on curves and turns. Accidents on curves and turns are caused by driving ignoring safety, such as speeding or inappropriate operation of the steering wheel.

3. Driver's age

When the number of traffic accidents resulting in death or serious injury is classified by age groups, the number of accidents caused by senior drivers who are 65 years of age or older is the most. The number of traffic accidents resulting in death or serious injury caused by young drivers (16 to 24 years of age) is decreasing recently. Among the fatal accidents caused by young drivers, accidents of two-wheeled vehicles are prominent. This result is related to the tendency that such drivers often drive recklessly or inattentively.

4. Driving experience

As for the driving experience, drivers with shorter years of driving experience occupy a higher percentage of causing traffic accidents. This result indicates that such drivers are not skilled enough to anticipate hazards and that they are not prepared enough to drive safely.

5. Violations against traffic laws and regulations

Among violations against laws and regulations resulting in fatal accidents, careless and lax driving is the most common cause, followed by improper driving operations and failing to ensure safety. However, with young drivers, careless and lax driving is the second most next to the violation of the maximum speed limit. With senior drivers, the second most is improper driving operations. Each of them can be prevented if drivers are prepared and make a little effort of paying attention or anticipating hazards.

2. Types of Traffic Accidents

Traffic accidents can be classified into some types. Each of them can be prevented depending on the driver's attitude.

1. Traffic accidents due to speeding

If a vehicle speeds too much, it cannot avoid danger and can cause a serious accident. The important thing is to drive at a safe speed all the time, in accordance with the road and traffic conditions. Especially, when traveling a curve, you should reduce speed sufficiently before entering the curve.

2. Traffic accidents due to unreasonable overtaking

Overtaking carries many risks. Do not overtake another vehicle without ensuring safety.

3. Traffic accidents due to looking aside while driving

It is very dangerous to look aside while driving. You must not look aside while driving, being distracted by surrounding scenes, conversations with passengers, operation of car stereo or mobile phone or attentively viewing the screen of the car navigation systems.

If you look aside for 2 seconds while traveling at 60 km/h, you would proceed 30 m or more while looking aside.

4. Traffic accidents at intersections

① Accidents when turning right

When you are turning right, a two-wheeled vehicle may come out from behind an oncoming vehicle where you cannot see (blind spot) to proceed straight. It is important to ensure safety thoroughly. You should drive anticipating invisible hazards.

② Accidents when proceeding straight

A driver must not proceed straight through an intersection easily, assuming that the oncoming vehicle turning right would stop. Pay special attention to the behavior of the oncoming vehicle turning right.

③ Accidents when turning left

Pay attention to the behavior of the vehicle ahead. Even if the vehicle ahead slows down, you should not pass by the vehicle ahead carelessly. Doing so may result in an accident. Also, at a narrow intersection, a vehicle turning left may move close to the center of the road before turning left. You should stop before the intersection.

④ Rear-end collision accidents

Keeping a sufficient distance from the vehicle ahead so that you will not collide into it even if it stops suddenly, and pay attention to the vehicle ahead as well as the condition ahead of it. Also, be careful not to collide into a vehicle parked on the road.

※ Since it is especially difficult to have correct sense of distance at night, you need to drive carefully.

5. Traffic accidents while driving along roads with the right of way

Even while proceeding on a road with the right of way, ensure safety and proceed carefully, anticipating that a vehicle or pedestrian may dart out from a byway. Driving along a road with the right of way doesn't mean you can take it easy. Try to drive safely anticipating hazards.

6. Side collisions at intersections (Road Junctions)

To prevent a side collision, coming to a stop (or proceeding slowly) and ensuring safety without fail are important.

Attention — Traffic mirrors

Even if a traffic mirror is installed, some areas are in the blind spots of the mirror and are not visible. Also, you may overlook or mistake an object reflected in the mirror. Do not rely too much on traffic mirrors.

2. Exposure on Two-Wheeled Vehicles and Injury

Since the whole body of a rider on a two-wheeled vehicle is always exposed, if an accident occurs, it is highly likely to be a serious accident. Especially, in many fatal accidents, riders die from head or chest injury. Wear clothing which exposes as little of the body as possible and wear a helmet and protectors properly.

Parts of the body that were fatally injured in accidents (2022): Head 37.7%, Chest 27.6%, Neck 8.0%, Abdomen 6.7%, Lower back 5.1%, Others 15%.

1. Clothing, etc.

  1. Wear clothing which exposes as little of the body as possible, and wear protectors as much as possible.
  2. Wear noticeable clothing so that other drivers notice you easily.
  3. A driver must not wear footwear that may interfere with driving operation, such as sandals and wooden sandals (geta).
  4. At night, wear reflective clothing or a motorcycle helmet with reflective stickers.
  5. A passenger should observe the above rules as well.

Attention — Watch out for leg injuries

Leg injuries are the most common injuries resulting from traffic accidents. In the event of overturning, be careful not to be trapped under the vehicle.

Injuries of two-wheeled vehicle drivers from traffic accidents classified by body parts (2022, 38,510 people): Legs 33.6%, Arms 21.7%, Neck 17.6%, Lower back 9.3%, Chest 7.3%, Head 5.0%, Others 5.5%.

2. Wearing a Motorcycle Helmet

  1. Do not ride a motorcycle or general motorized bicycle without wearing a motorcycle helmet. Also, do not ride a motorcycle with a passenger wearing no motorcycle helmet. Injury to the head is the most common cause of death of two-wheeled vehicle (including general motorized bicycle) riders in traffic accidents.
  2. Wear a motorcycle helmet that bears PS (C) mark or JIS mark. Wear it properly by fastening the chinstrap firmly, etc. Helmets for construction are not motorcycle helmets.

3. The Tragic Effects of Traffic Accidents

A driver who causes a traffic accident bears civil liability (compensation of damages) and criminal liability (imprisonment, imprisonment without work, or fine) and receives administrative punishment (revocation or suspension of a driver's license). It is not only the driver him/herself who gets hurt and suffer from a traffic accident, but also his/her family who shares a heavy burden with the driver, in terms of economic loss, mental pain, etc. Needless to say, the driver imposes unbearable suffering to the victim and his/her family. Taking such tragic effects of traffic accidents into your heart, make your best efforts to drive safely.

Dear my parents, N.H., Asahikawa city

One day, my parents passed away suddenly.

On that day, a passenger vehicle collided into a mini-truck that my parents were on. That vehicle didn't make a stop at the stop sign.

My mother died on the spot. My father died during the operation. I know they were fine until the day before the accident. They were looking forward to seeing their grandchild enters a school and to attend my little sister's wedding. But they are gone, all of a sudden.

That accident put me through hell and my happy life disappeared. My life has been changed totally.

As a victim, the hardest thing is to see the face of the person who caused the accident. I don't have a grudge, but I just can't forgive him. Whenever I see his face, I feel that "This person killed my parents and changed our life". My heart aches and my tears never stop. After the memorial service of 49 days, I asked him not to visit us through the insurance company. My parents will never come back.

The person who killed them will live the rest of his life repenting his mistake.

"Why it turned out this way?", "Why he hit my parents' vehicle?", "Why my parents had to die?" ... Why ... Why ... But nobody answers. ...(omitted)...

Whenever I hear a news of a traffic accident, my heart aches, thinking that "both the injured and injuring people and their families would be in grief".

(An excerpt from "Grief over Road Tragedies that Can Never Be Healed": Voices of Traffic Accident Victims issued by Hokkaido Traffic Safety Association)

4. Respect for Human Life

Traffic accidents are caused by slight carelessness or negligence of drivers or pedestrians, so they can be prevented with efforts. On the roads crowded with vehicles and people as seen today, a slight negligence in following rules or a slight carelessness can cause a traffic accident very easily. Each driver must have awareness and responsibility as a member of a motorized society, fully understand that "single momentary mistake in driving operation can make a vehicle a dangerous object that can take someone's life" and try to drive safely making full use of each one's ability.

1. Importance of Appreciation for Human Lives

Drivers are especially required to "hold appreciation for human lives and deep human love". Drivers with such quality would naturally travel at a reduced speed, steer more carefully, and drive with consideration for others.

2. Observing Traffic Rules is the First Step in Safe Driving

Just as an athlete who does not follow the rules is not allowed to play a sport, a driver who does not follow traffic rules is not allowed to drive. Traffic rules have been established so that people and vehicles can proceed safely, so following these rules is the foundation of safe driving.

3. Not being Overconfident in Your Driving Skills

Overestimating your own driving skills leads to reckless driving. Not a few major accidents have been occurred due to overconfidence in driving skills, in which drivers believed that they were good at driving. Inexperienced drivers should drive more carefully, and even very experienced drivers should drive with humility.

4. Having a Sense of Responsibility

Drivers have a duty to observe traffic rules and drive safely, but at the same time, they must also have firm awareness and a sense of responsibility that they will never cause an accident.

5. Importance of Being Yielding

People should use roads giving way to each other. Throw away selfish thoughts and try to drive with a yielding spirit. In real traffic, there are many situations that cannot be resolved by traffic rules alone. Being yielding is what solves these situations.

5. The Importance of Seat Belts

1. Wearing a Seat Belt

Some drivers and passengers do not wear their seat belts, saying that they are cumbersome and tight, or that they do not need them. However, wearing seat belts has the following advantages. When driving an automobile equipped with seat belts, the driver must wear seat belts, and make sure that passengers in the passenger and rear seats also wear them.

The effects of wearing seat belts:

  1. They greatly reduce damage to the head and chest in the event of a collision. They also greatly reduce the risk of passengers in the rear seats harming other passengers.
  2. Injuries are reduced in the event of an overturn or falling accident.
  3. Prevents being thrown out of the vehicle even if the door opens.
  4. Promotes correct driving posture and ideal steering wheel operation.
  5. Helps to maintain dynamic visual acuity.
  6. As your waist and upper body becomes stable, you feel less tired.

Attention — If seat belts were NOT worn...

A person who doesn't wear seat belts will be smashed against the ceiling, windshield, steering wheel, dashboard, etc., or thrown out of the vehicle. In traffic accidents, fatality rate varies greatly depending on whether seat belts are worn or not. If people who died in an accident had worn seat belts, most of them may be alive today.

2. Wearing a Seat Belt During Pregnancy

Even during pregnancy, proper use of seat belts can safeguard the mother and her unborn baby from the damage in case of a traffic accident. However, conditions during pregnancy differ from person to person. Seek a doctor's advice as to whether wearing a seat belt would be appropriate in maintaining health. To reduce the adverse effect on the unborn baby in the event of an accident, pregnant women should not wear only the lap belt. They should wear both the lap belt and shoulder belt and otherwise wear the seat belt correctly, including avoiding wearing the belt across the belly.

(Refer to p.17 for how to wear a seat belt correctly when pregnant)

3. Using Child Seats

In addition to dramatically reducing damage in the event of traffic accidents, child seats can also prevent children from interfering with driving operations. Children who are unable to wear seat belts properly should use child seats. In particular, when preschool children (under 6 years of age) are passengers in an automobile, child seats of a design corresponding to the child's growth must be used. However, exemptions are available for unavoidable reasons such as illness. Child seats lose effectiveness when used incorrectly. Therefore, use them correctly, following the manufacturer's instructions, etc.

(Refer to p.11 for how to use a child seat properly)

Reference — Importance of child seats

Let's Try — Course Content 9 — Check your understanding with right/wrong questions.

(See page 275 for answers.)

  1. When riding on a two-wheeled vehicle on a hot summer day, wearing clothing that exposes much of the body can reduce fatigue and helps the rider to drive safely.
  2. In the event of an accident, a person not wearing a seat belt may be smashed against the ceiling, windshield, steering wheel, dashboard, etc.
  3. With majority of the people who died while riding on two-wheeled vehicles, the fatal wound is the injury to the head. Therefore, riders must wear a motorcycle helmet.

(正: right, 誤: wrong)