It has been three years since the accident in which an elderly driver's car went out of control in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, killing his mother and young daughter.


The bereaved family visited the scene and mourned the two who died, and reiterated the importance of accident prevention.

Three years ago, on April 19, a car went out of control in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, hitting pedestrians one after another, and Mana Matsunaga (31) and her eldest daughter Riko (3) who were riding bicycles died. , 9 people were seriously injured.



An 87-year-old elderly driver who was driving was sentenced to five years in prison for negligent driving fatal injury.

On the 19th, three years after the accident, the time when the accident occurred when Mana's husband Takuya Matsunaga (35) and his father Yoshinori Uehara (64) visited a memorial monument in a park near the site. I offered a silent prayer to him.

Mr. Matsunaga said, "It was very early for three years. When I reach my death anniversary, I really want to meet and hug them. Accidents happen somewhere every day, and there are people who suffer in the same way. The time is a moment, but I will drag it for the rest of my life. I want you to keep traffic safety in mind. "



Mr. Uehara also said, "It's been hard every day for the past three years, and if I can meet two people, I'm full of feelings of wanting to meet. Since it's a car society, traffic accidents will continue to occur. If you think about it, I think the number of accidents will decrease. "

Many people are in the park near the site

Many people visited the memorial monument in the park near the site, and they were seen holding flowers and holding hands.



Among them, a man in his 50s said, "The accident happened about 10 days before my daughter was born. My daughter is 3 years old and is the same age as the girl who died." Be careful of traffic accidents. I come every year with the promise that I promise. "



In addition, a man in his twenties said, "I was very shocked by the news of the accident at that time because I was close to my place of employment. I was talking.

Improving the environment after returning the "elderly driver" license remains an issue

The accident in Ikebukuro triggered the renewed attention to the problem of elderly drivers.



According to the National Police Agency, there were 346 fatal accidents by elderly drivers over the age of 75 in the last year, and the most common cause is operational mistakes.



A new driver's license renewal system for the elderly will start on the 13th of next month in order to prevent accidents of elderly drivers who will not be left behind, and when drivers over 75 years old who have a history of violations in the past renew their licenses Is required to have a proficiency test.

The target is people who have committed at least one of 11 types of violations such as signal ignorance, speed violation, and reverse driving in the past three years, and it is estimated that about 150,000 people will be targeted annually.



When you renew your license, you will actually drive the car and check whether you can operate the steering wheel properly or pause by using the deduction method.

You can take the test repeatedly, but if you do not meet the standard by the renewal deadline, your license will expire.



In addition, a new license will be introduced to limit driving to "support cars" equipped with safety functions such as automatic braking.


The number of people who voluntarily returned their driver's licenses was the highest in the year when the Ikebukuro accident occurred, but last year it decreased to 517,040 people nationwide for the second consecutive year.


The limited license of "support car" is supposed to be used by people who need a car in their daily lives and cannot return the license, but the environment is such that elderly people can shop and go to the hospital without driving. Maintenance remains an issue.