Accidents Caused by Elderly Drivers

In recent months, almost every week, I see news reports about accidents where a car driven by an elderly person crashes into a line of kindergarten children, resulting in precious lives lost. Every time I see such news, my heart tightens painfully.

The feelings of the parents whose child—whom they had just dropped off at daycare as usual, the child who waved goodbye with a beaming smile—suddenly became someone who would never return.

The feelings of the daycare workers who, despite taking every possible safety precaution and paying the utmost attention, witnessed a young child get involved in an accident right before their eyes.

And the children nearby must have been truly, truly terrified.

Just thinking, “What if my precious child were to go through something like that…” makes my heart ache and tears well up.

That’s why every time I see such tragic news, I remind myself firmly that “Above all else, safe driving comes first—before any enjoyment of driving.”

Moreover, since I recently started driving a manual transmission car, my awareness of safe driving has increased even more. Unlike automatic cars, much of the control is entrusted to the driver’s hands, and even though I’m getting used to driving a manual, there are still tense moments. So I make a conscious effort every day to practice “defensive driving” and maintain safe following distances.

That said, I had always thought somewhere deep down that “Surely such a terrible accident could never happen close to us.”

The Car Accident in Nishinomiya

Then, yesterday morning, a message popped up on the LINE group chat for mothers at my eldest daughter’s kindergarten. I casually glanced at the notification on my smartphone and saw:

“A car crashed into a line of children near the kindergarten…”

At that moment, my heart froze. Could it be that my child was involved…!?

I hurriedly opened LINE and saw a message saying, “I just passed the scene and there were many police, ambulances, and media. I looked it up and it seems a car crashed into a line of kindergarten children,” along with a URL to a news article about the accident.

*Article & image source: Car crashes into line of kindergarten children, two injured; 69-year-old woman arrested in Nishinomiya, Hyogo

The accident site is a place my husband and I pass by every day by car, just a stone’s throw from the kindergarten my eldest daughter attends. There was also a time when my daughters used to walk along that very road on their way to a nearby park.

The daycare involved is very popular locally. I had even considered enrolling my eldest daughter there and had visited for a tour.

Because the accident happened so close to home, reading the article was quite a shock. However, while I hesitate to call it a silver lining, I am truly relieved that the two injured children are reported to have no life-threatening injuries.

Driving a Manual Transmission Car

Lately, with traffic accident reports appearing almost weekly, I wondered, “Has the number of traffic accidents actually increased recently?” Upon researching, I found that the number of traffic accident fatalities in 2018 actually decreased compared to the previous year, reaching the lowest level since statistics began. However, the proportion involving elderly drivers appears to be rising. (*Source: Traffic accident fatalities in 2018: 3,532—lowest ever recorded since statistics began, but elderly driver proportion increases)

Even though accidents are decreasing, the media continues to report on traffic accidents daily. Whether this is due to some media agenda, I don’t know—but as someone who drives, it’s better to be overly conscious of safe driving than not enough.

When my husband and I were discussing this, he said:

“Many cars involved in accidents are out of control due to incorrect operation. But I really think a truly safe car should stop immediately if the driver makes a mistake. In that sense, manual transmission cars are definitely safer. If you make a mistake driving a manual, the engine stalls and the car stops.”

I truly agree.

Nowadays, most people get their licenses restricted to automatic transmissions, so many drivers don’t fully understand how a car works—how it moves and how it stops. (I was like that for a long time too.)

It’s of course important for automakers to continue improving autonomous driving technology and vehicle safety. But that doesn’t mean we should leave everything to the car. It’s crucial for drivers to understand their vehicles and learn how to respond properly in emergencies. This is something I’ve been reminded of once again.