Killer old farts cause 42.6% of traffic deaths

[Taro Toporific]

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[SIZE="2"]Over-65s account for record 42.6% of traffic deaths in 2005[/SIZE]
Kyodo news, Jan. 26, 2006, TOKYO ---People aged over 65 accounted for a record 42.6 percent of deaths in traffic accidents in Japan last year, the National Police Agency said ...more...

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UPDATE: As I was helpfully reminded the title is wrong: 42.6 percent of older people die from their accidents--not 42.6 percent cause accidents. In other words, the old farts are more a menace to themselves than society.

[Taro Toporific]

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NPA to screen dementia-affected drivers
Kyodo via crisscross, Thursday, February 2, 2006 at 14:51 EST
TOKYO ---The National Police Agency decided Thursday to set up a committee of psychological experts to develop simple ways to detect drivers with impaired cognitive functions or who are suspected of having dementia, amid the rise in the number of serious traffic accidents involving senior drivers aged 65 and older, NPA officials said. ...more..


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From left to right and top to bottom are the official warning stickers that must be put on cars in Japan:
わかばマーク wakaba mark for new car drivers for their first year behind the wheel
もみじマークmomiji mark (autumn-color leaf sticker for dangerous old fart drivers over the age of seventy-five
よっぱらいマーpreviously-coveredmark
大麻マーク taima mark

[Mulboyne]

"95% say their aged relatives shouldn't be on the road"

Aged Road Warrior Risks

[kurohinge1]

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. . . The National Police Agency decided Thursday [2 February 2006] to set up a committee of psychological experts to develop simple ways to detect drivers with impaired cognitive functions or who are suspected of having dementia, amid the rise in the number of serious traffic accidents involving senior drivers aged 65 and older, NPA officials said. . .

[SIZE="4"]Elder Driver Badges 'Leaf' Japanese Seniors Cold[/SIZE]

Anyone driving in Japan will notice curious badges on many of the other cars. Both are shaped like stylized leaves, with green & yellow (Wakaba) for first-year new drivers and red & yellow (Koleshiya) for seniors over 75. It's the latter that are ruffling a few feathers. After all, what person of advanced age wants to be likened to a dying leaf?

Though the official purpose of the badges is to "symbolize the level of driving experience", c'mon - we all know it REALLY means "youngster/oldster at the wheel, beware!".

. . . The koleshiya badges, on the other hand, are mandatory for Japanese 75 or older and must be displayed as long as they drive. . .

As the chance of encountering an elderly driver on the road goes up, Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) is leaning on oldsters to display their koleshiya badges. The oldsters are leaning back, basically telling the NPA where to stick their badges - and not on their patrol cars, either.

The latest tactic by the NPA was to fine those 75-plussers who didn't display koleshiya badges \4,000 yen (about $40), a hefty chunk of change for retirees on fixed incomes. Grey power sprung into action, forcing the NPA to retract the penalty.

A side-effect of the ruckus is that now advocates for the elderly are criticizing the design of the badge itself, calling it offensive and insensitive for comparing Japan's seniors to dying autumn leaves. . . more

Plus it's not obvious what it means.

Here's what I suggest:

[Behan]

I had thought that using drying, dying leaves as a symbol was a bit harsh. If they can't drive, don't let them, but the symbol seems a bit insulting.
Or maybe we could just Logan's Run or Soylent Greenthem.

[wuchan]

Back home they make people over 65 take a driving test every year to check if they can still drive. Maybe they should do that here.

The cannabis one always makes me laugh.

[james]

[Greji]

I think this thread should be locked.....Viagra has made us all equal again!

[james]

I think this thread should be locked.....Viagra has made us all equal again!

you must be driving a stick-shift then

[Greji]

[quote="james"]you must be driving a stick-shift then ]


Never knock a winning combination....

[Mulboyne]

The Mainichi reports that Police want to come up with a new design to replace the "autumn leaf" symbol which designates an elderly driver. A survey has indicated that only around half of people questioned had an idea of what it meant.

[Iraira]

The Mainichi reports that Police want to come up with a new design to replace the "autumn leaf" symbol which designates an elderly driver. A survey has indicated that only around half of people questioned had an idea of what it meant.

Why don't they just make a purple hair decal to indicate an obaasan driver and write "Caution: Kareishuu on Board" for an oyaji driver?

[Yokohammer]

Why don't they just make a purple hair decal to indicate an obaasan driver and write "Caution: Kareishuu on Board" for an oyaji driver?

Or a picture of Mr. Magoo?

(Oh boy ... what percentage of FGs are going to get that one?)

[canman]

Two weeks ago, I was riding my bicycle along a street, and could hear the whining of a k-truck, they way a lot of old jiji's keep it in first or second gear too long. I kept waiting for him to pass me, but he kept coming closer and closer, I looked back a few times, then suddenly his mirror caught my handle bar and reefed it to the left. I went flying onto the bike, with my peddle coming up and catching me in the thigh, taking a good chunk out of it. He just kept going never stopped. Unfortunately I didn't see his number plate as I was a little shocked to be in the situation. The front tire was bent, the brake lever broke off, the chain was broken and the front shifter is bent all to hell.
I think he never saw me, or was drunk. But for the grace of God I didn't land on my head or neck, and do any serious damage. I didn't go to the police, as I thought what could they do. He didn't stop, so I didn't have his name, and I didn't get the number plate. There are a million k-trucks around here, so it could have been anybody. But my wife later pointed out to me, that if I had filed a complaint, I could have used that to make a claim on out insurance for a new bike. D'Ohhh!

[Behan]

That's horrible, but, like you said, it could have been a lot worse, Canman.

Is it too late to file a complaint now?

[IkemenTommy]

It's never too late but the damn police might not do shit, as usual except go after stolen bikes. Hell, you might even get hassled for a stolen bike being a fucked gaijin and all.

A lot of times, at least strictly speaking about the US here, is that that the police would hit up all the local body shops to see if they have a matching vehicle in repair. They'll run traces on the body paint stuck on your bike with their known database of make, model, and year to narrow down their ID. I guess that is a little too sophisticated for the keystone cops here.

Chances are, that fuckin jiji goes through that same route almost every day at the same time as part of his regular driving. I would stake out at the stop intersection and beat the shit out of him with a crowbar.

[Mock Cockpit]

I'd rather they cracked down on the 18-25 year old males, they're the real danger group. The old bastards are just frustrating cos they go so fucking slow.

[james]

it's infuriating. these old fuckers are constantly pulling out without looking and i've come close to t-boning a few of 'em through no fault of my own (no doubt the j-stone koppers would feel otherwise). the ones i don't manage to eliminate then drive so slow that i'm really quite ready to run them off the road.

by far, the worst are, in my experience:

- mitsubishi atrai, especially grey / silver / blue
- blue kei trucks
- white kei trucks

i think this is a good preview for what will be happening on an increasing basis in north america soon as more and more of the boomers are out on the road making return trips to fill their prescriptions and stock up on depends.

canman: that sucks nuts about your bike and being almost killed. i bet the fucker never even saw you. glad to hear at least that you're around to relate it to us. would rather see you in this thread than in 'dead gaijins'.

[wuchan]

it's infuriating. these old fuckers are constantly pulling out without looking and i've come close to t-boning a few of 'em through no fault of my own (no doubt the j-stone koppers would feel otherwise). the ones i don't manage to eliminate then drive so slow that i'm really quite ready to run them off the road.

by far, the worst are, in my experience:

- mitsubishi atrai, especially grey / silver / blue
- blue kei trucks
- white kei trucks

This is exactly why I am going to buy an EVO IX after the house is done. I feel the need for a street legal rally car here so that I can stop for and get away from the old fuckers.

[kagemusha]

If your talking about a big city and not a rural place you shold report it to the police and give them the exact time, you might be lucky and there is a camera on that street or on a main street nearby and it can help finding the right car and it's number plate.

[Greji]

The old bastards are just frustrating cos they go so fucking slow.

Not all of 'em! You don't want to go too slow in front of me....

[IkemenTommy]

Not all of 'em! You don't want to go too slow in front of me....

Yeah because Greji is so blind he'll rearend you.

[Behan]

Yeah because Greji is so blind he'll rearend you.

With his car? Or with his...?

[Doctor Stop]

People aged over 65 accounted for a record 42.6 percent of deaths in traffic accidents in Japan last year...

Wait until the 42.6% of the population is over 65.

[CrankyBastard]

The missus wanted to go to Costco last week, so we had to get in the car to go there.
As we're driving along route 16, we approach an intersection. The light is red, but she just drives on through, not hesitating for a second. Bewildered, I thinks to meself "I must be losing it. I could've sworn we just drove through a red light."

A few minutes later, we come up to another red light. Again, she drives right on through. I get a bit alarmed, but still not sure if I'm imagining things. At the next intersection, however, she drives through another red light, this time I'm sure, so I yell at her. "We we just ran through three red lights in a row!!"
Calmly, she replied "You know, I noticed that too!"

Flabbergasted, I stammer, "You could have gotten us both killed!"

She turns slowly to me, and says, "Me?! I thought you were driving!"

[tidbits]

Yesterday I just passed by a place where an accident happened 10 days ago, the place still full of flowers, so heart breaking thinking about it. A mother and a child on bicycle died, hit by a dump truck.

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/affairs/disaster/090714/dst0907141400014-n1.htm (in Japanese)

[Iraira]

The missus wanted to go to Costco last week, so we had to get in the car to go there.
As we're driving along route 16, we approach an intersection. The light is red, but she just drives on through, not hesitating for a second. Bewildered, I thinks to meself "I must be losing it. I could've sworn we just drove through a red light."

A few minutes later, we come up to another red light. Again, she drives right on through. I get a bit alarmed, but still not sure if I'm imagining things. At the next intersection, however, she drives through another red light, this time I'm sure, so I yell at her. "We we just ran through three red lights in a row!!"
Calmly, she replied "You know, I noticed that too!"

Flabbergasted, I stammer, "You could have gotten us both killed!"

She turns slowly to me, and says, "Me?! I thought you were driving!"

You might want to really stop and consider that you really don't have a wife and that your entire married existence is all in your imagination...use this incident as an excuse if you get caught doing someone you aren't supposed to be doing. You might be able to argue your way out of some serious banishment to the couch time.

[james]

Wait until the 42.6% of the population is over 65.

reasonably sure that out here, we're not far from that proportion. won't be long if we haven't reached it yet.

demographics here

if i've done my math right, we're at about 27.7% now and would reach 42.6% in ten years even if the population remains constant.

[Iraira]

reasonably sure that out here, we're not far from that proportion. won't be long if we haven't reached it yet.

demographics here

if i've done my math right, we're at about 27.7% now and would reach 42.6% in ten years even if the population remains constant.

Does that take into account New Year's mochi deaths?

[james]

Does that take into account New Year's mochi deaths?

no, nor does it take into account the exodus of young people for the cities..

i think around here it'd be easier if they just mark the cars that aren't being driven by old people.