Car Crash

[Mulboyne]

[YT]nIlpUm7BUHk[/YT]

[MrUltimateGaijin]

car did a good job of withstanding that impact.

[wuchan]

so many road design flaws here. Most of the shit that I see here would not fly in Europe or the US. There should be a barrier between the lanes in this vid. The problem is if a person sues the government for improper road design they just say "we didn't design it" and pass the responsibility off to some yak run concrete co. and nothing ever happens.

[Hikonejou]

Holy Crap!

I hope everyone was ok.

That was a nasty crash.

[Mulboyne]

I hope everyone was ok.

The poster comments on YouTube that airbags and seatbelts did their job but everyone is still shaken up and feeling the aches.

[GomiGirl]

They just happened to have the video recorder running the whole time? Is that a common thing to do?

[Mulboyne]

They just happened to have the video recorder running the whole time? Is that a common thing to do?

The video was taken by an Anshin mini "drive recorder". There are quite a few crash clips from such recorders on YouTube but the one above is the newest and also one of the most dramatic.

[Kuang_Grade]

They just happened to have the video recorder running the whole time? Is that a common thing to do?

I think many car mounted video systems have an 'always on' feature, where they constantly record and then overwrite during a set time buffer....similar to the way airplane black boxes record the previous 30 minutes of cockpit conversations.

[SekZ]

Wow that's pretty scary stuff. Any guesses as to why the other driver lost control? Looked like maybe his front tire may have blown out but it's hard to see.

[traycerb]

man what a lesson in tension. knowing it was labeled "car crash" i was on edge just waiting for it, but when it happened, I damn near fell out of my chair anyway. Good to know everyone's ok, because that was pretty horrific looking.

Hard to tell, but it looks like the other driver veered one way, then the other (into opposing traffic). When will people learn not to over-correct?

[Behan]

man what a lesson in tension. knowing it was labeled "car crash" i was on edge just waiting for it, but when it happened, I damn near fell out of my chair anyway. Good to know everyone's ok, because that was pretty horrific looking.

Hard to tell, but it looks like the other driver veered one way, then the other (into opposing traffic). When will people learn not to over-correct?

Me, too. What a shock. If I hadn't been told they were OK I would assume it was a fatal crash.

[Tsuru]

so many road design flaws here. Most of the shit that I see here would not fly in Europe or the US. There should be a barrier between the lanes in this vid. The problem is if a person sues the government for improper road design they just say "we didn't design it" and pass the responsibility off to some yak run concrete co. and nothing ever happens.

That's a bit of a stretch.... fair enough, we usually don't put our roads in a concrete through, but the other driver was going way too fast and managed to completely lose control of his box-on-wheels on a perfect dry day with perfect visibility. As far I can see he didn't hit anything apart from the cameracar and managed to completely fuck it up all by himself.

When I watched this vid the first thought that went through my head was how my older car (1996) sans airbags probably wouldn't have fared quite so well if it was me in the lady's seat, and how there was absolutely nothing even I, Mr. I-work-in-aviation-and-have-supernormal-reflexes-and-coordination could have done to avoid this nutcase. Fuck him, I hope they took away his license.

[Behan]

Fuck him, I hope they took away his license.

After he says sumimasen all will be forgiven.

[Yokohammer]

Holy crap!!

Just in the process of getting my first driver's licenses here since I was a teen, after about 35 years as a dyed-in-the-wool pedestrian. That's almost enough to change my mind.

[osopolar]

mierda..
I was on edge the whole time.. and had to watch the last few seconds over again. It's a relief that car took the impact and the ppl got out ok. Though had it been a Kei, guaranteed no front survivors.. That's what freaks me out about kei's.. and the whole 50cm plastic lane dividers really scare the crap outta me...

[BO-SENSEI]

I was kind of wishing that tanker got involved somehow, but yeah i kept on expecting something to happen but when it did, it was shocking. I really hate driving on the highways here, everyone goes at least 20kph over there speed limit and combine that with bad driving i am surprised more people aren't killed in car accidents. I guess they really know how to build cars here.

[Mike Oxlong]

Occurrence of traffic accidents during 2005
- No. of accidents: 933,828 (comparison with previous year: -18,363, -1.9%)
- No. of fatalities (*1): 6,871 persons (comparison with previous year: -487, -6.6%)
- No. of injuries: 1,156,633 persons (comparison with previous year: -26,487, -2.2%)

The US had 42,708 traffic fatalities in 2006, with 2,575,000 injured.

[xenomorph42]

so many road design flaws here. Most of the shit that I see here would not fly in Europe or the US. There should be a barrier between the lanes in this vid. The problem is if a person sues the government for improper road design they just say "we didn't design it" and pass the responsibility off to some yak run concrete co. and nothing ever happens.

Interesting point, but let me expand on that a bit more...
As a daily Auto Commuter. I think the real problem overall the way people drive in this country. Take the trucks for instance. They usually go 20~25 km over the speed limit and always either tailgate or narrowly broad-side you. These guys are total bullies and drive these trucks as if they are competing in some F1 event!
The other thing is that on narrow highways for some reason if there is a blind spot or a curve where you can't see beyond, people here just fly into them as if THEY are the ones that own the road, I have had quite a few near misses! I try to be ultra careful, but because of this, people that often pass me by give me the dirtiest looks, I don't care, but I really believe in safety first. Also, as a father with a child, my senses are really working overtime.
But there are no regulations. These are the worst driving habits that the Japanese have that are out of control and need to be reigned in! The Top 10!

1) NOT using their blinkers
2) Holding a baby while driving, trust me happens in the country side a lot!
3) Cutting you off knowingly and when you meet up with them at the light, they try to avoid eye contact, knowing that what they did was messed up.
4) Talking on the phone while driving, trying to park, or through a shopping center.
5) Mom's trying to take their kids to school in the morning are THE MOST Dangerous of drivers. Stop signs are foreign words to them.
6) Guys that want to impress their girlfriends in their pimped rides, showing off and driving as if speed and maneuverability.
7) Accidentally taking your parking spot(kinda like when you go shopping and see an open register and you start to walk towards it and some jerk beats you to it!
8 ) Parking in the Handicap spaces when they go to the convini stores.
9) Believing that they are some of the safest drivers in the world. This was told to me at the department of motor vehicles when I was getting my J-license.
10) Paying almost 3 grand for a license! All that money spent and people for the most part still can't drive.

[xenomorph42]

Occurrence of traffic accidents during 2005
- No. of accidents: 933,828 (comparison with previous year: -18,363, -1.9%)
- No. of fatalities (*1): 6,871 persons (comparison with previous year: -487, -6.6%)
- No. of injuries: 1,156,633 persons (comparison with previous year: -26,487, -2.2%)

The US had 42,708 traffic fatalities in 2006, with 2,575,000 injured.

Are these US stats only or are these Japanese stats? Would be interesting to see those and compare the numbers.

[osopolar]

Interesting point, but let me expand on that a bit more...
As a daily Auto Commuter. I think the real problem overall the way people drive in this country. Take the trucks for instance. They usually go 20~25 km over the speed limit and always either tailgate or narrowly broad-side you. These guys are total bullies and drive these trucks as if they are competing in some F1 event!
The other thing is that on narrow highways for some reason if there is a blind spot or a curve where you can't see beyond, people here just fly into them as if THEY are the ones that own the road, I have had quite a few near misses! I try to be ultra careful, but because of this, people that often pass me by give me the dirtiest looks, I don't care, but I really believe in safety first. Also, as a father with a child, my senses are really working overtime.
But there are no regulations. These are the worst driving habits that the Japanese have that are out of control and need to be reigned in! The Top 10!

1) NOT using their blinkers
2) Holding a baby while driving, trust me happens in the country side a lot!
3) Cutting you off knowingly and when you meet up with them at the light, they try to avoid eye contact, knowing that what they did was messed up.
4) Talking on the phone while driving, trying to park, or through a shopping center.
5) Mom's trying to take their kids to school in the morning are THE MOST Dangerous of drivers. Stop signs are foreign words to them.
6) Guys that want to impress their girlfriends in their pimped rides, showing off and driving as if speed and maneuverability.
7) Accidentally taking your parking spot(kinda like when you go shopping and see an open register and you start to walk towards it and some jerk beats you to it!
8 ) Parking in the Handicap spaces when they go to the convini stores.
9) Believing that they are some of the safest drivers in the world. This was told to me at the department of motor vehicles when I was getting my J-license.
10) Paying almost 3 grand for a license! All that money spent and people for the most part still can't drive.

Waiting until the very last moment on a high transit two lane road to turn their blinker on before making a right turn to something on the opposing lane. -drives me nuts. They'll go 20 over the speed limit then slam their brakes, then turn their blinker on to turn.

[BO-SENSEI]

1) Agreed, most people never use them
2) seen that way too many times too
3) It was your fault they had to cut you off, they are in a hurry and you drive too slow.
4) Heck, doing anything while driving, smoking seems to be popular, not to mention the number of times i have seen people with headphones on.
5) For the first couple of days i thought stop signs were optional.
6) Trying to compensate for something.
7) never had that problem, i always park going front in.
8 ) I have seen that rule broken so many times I don't think that's illegal. I think its kind of like a handicap bathroom, its designed for the handicap but anyone can use it.
9) I believe it.
10) I know, considering how strict getting a license is it boggles my mind how as soon as they get on to the real road they forget all the rules.

Some other things you missed like the cars that have 50 percent of its windshield blocked by a fur dashboard, stuffed animals, a feather boa, and numerous other shit. And I once rode in a car with a Japanese man who was about 60 years old and he used both of his feet to drive, one on the brake one on the gas at all times. Also, not using your lights at dusk or when its raining. In the states, if your wipers are on your lights have to be on, it is not so you can see, its is so people can see you, it would really handy for all those silver cars in Japan that i can not see, because whenever i have seen an accident it always happens when its raining.

[wuchan]

They'll go 20 over the speed limit then slam their brakes, then turn their blinker on to turn.

Yes THIS!

and the kids roaming free in the back of the minivans.

I can forgive the trucks, they are working and all these terrible drivers are in their way. They cant tell if you are one of the very few drivers in the country that can handle a car. I used to drive one in one of the oldest cities in the US where most of the people on the road agree that "staying in the lines is optional".

[FG Lurker]

Occurrence of traffic accidents during 2005
- No. of accidents: 933,828 (comparison with previous year: -18,363, -1.9%)
- No. of fatalities (*1): 6,871 persons (comparison with previous year: -487, -6.6%)
- No. of injuries: 1,156,633 persons (comparison with previous year: -26,487, -2.2%)

The US had 42,708 traffic fatalities in 2006, with 2,575,000 injured.

Just looking at the numbers it looks like Japan and the US are about equal on a per-capita basis. When you look at it on a per-km-driven basis though things look a LOT different. Japanese drivers drive far less per year on average than folks in the US... The accident rate here is roughly double the US when looked at this way.

[FG Lurker]

Interesting point, but let me expand on that a bit more...
As a daily Auto Commuter. I think the real problem overall the way people drive in this country.

I suggest you never try driving in Osaka... You'd fill your pants in seconds.

[xenomorph42]

[quote="FG Lurker"]I suggest you never try driving in Osaka... You'd fill your pants in seconds. ]

I think you mean Fukuoka! Kyushu is probably THE WORST area to drive in.

[FG Lurker]

I think you mean Fukuoka! Kyushu is probably THE WORST area to drive in.

Come on up to Osaka and go for a drive. We tend to give inaka plates a bit of a wide birth so you'll probably be okay...

When I first started driving here the roads really freaked me out but now I'm just another Osakan driver. I think the driving style here fits my personality pretty well actually.

[Grumblebum]

5) For the first couple of days i thought stop signs were optional.

Stopping at red lights also seems to be optional.

I remember one occasion where I was coming up on a traffic light. It turned yellow well before I got close enough to get through, so I slowed down and pulled up a few seconds after it turned red. The car behind me actually pulled out and went around me to go through the light which had already been red for at least 10 seconds or so.

[Mike Oxlong]

I think you mean Fukuoka! Kyushu is probably THE WORST area to drive in.

You've driven in the prefecture south of that island? Might as well be part of China - the driving's not much different.

[IkemenTommy]

so many road design flaws here. Most of the shit that I see here would not fly in Europe or the US. There should be a barrier between the lanes in this vid. The problem is if a person sues the government for improper road design they just say "we didn't design it" and pass the responsibility off to some yak run concrete co. and nothing ever happens.

Wuchan, I completely agree with you there.

[quote="FG Lurker"]Come on up to Osaka and go for a drive. We tend to give inaka plates a bit of a wide birth so you'll probably be okay... ]
I wonder how they would treat the Shinagawa plate?

[xenomorph42]

Stopping at red lights also seems to be optional.

I remember one occasion where I was coming up on a traffic light. It turned yellow well before I got close enough to get through, so I slowed down and pulled up a few seconds after it turned red. The car behind me actually pulled out and went around me to go through the light which had already been red for at least 10 seconds or so.

That is very common typical Japanese driving. In a turn signal or if you are approaching an intersection and the light turns yellow, in most countries, cars slow down, maybe 1 or 2 will get through, but here in Fukuoka, I'd say more like 6 or 8 will go. This is one the creators of traffic. Because when that happens, the opposite side has to wait, which takes up their minutes and the whole cycle perpetuates. At a turning signal if you don't go or stop(as you should when the light changes) some cars will just go around you. In a turn, this can be really dangerous, because it's usually out of your blind spot and you make a quick turn not seeing the other driver and BAM, you have an accident. Taxis are the absolute worst. Traffic laws mean SHIT to them. Taxis create their own driving rules and laws.