Over the past few weeks, Japanese media have been obsessed with a road rage incident in Ibaraki Prefecture, when a 43-year-old man forcibly stopped another driver on the Juban highway and assaulted him in his car.

The incident drew national attention after Asahi Television obtained a video of the assault, which was captured by a camera mounted on the dashboard. The station broadcast dramatic footage, along with an interview with the victim. Eventually, the head of the National Public Safety Committee was forced to comment, saying the assault was unacceptable, and the suspected aggressor became the target of a national pursuit, and was arrested more than a week later in Osaka.

These incidents are called Urionten, a term that covers a wide range of dangerous driving behaviors. Such behaviors are not rare, but so far authorities have not taken them seriously, although a similar incident in 2017 resulted in the death of two people on the Tommy highway.

Journalist Toro Tamakawa says the increased use of car cameras and, more importantly, the growing broadcast of such footage on television shows have prompted police to act. It is believed that more than 10 years ago it was difficult for the police to charge anyone in an incident of anger or road skirmish. The persons concerned are not prosecuted if there is no visible evidence or witnesses.

A former police investigator said that “you shouldn't try to escape, either, because it could cause a traffic accident.” The investigator recommends staying alert and calling the emergency number. If the situation develops, it is better to lure the aggressor to the parking lots in front of the stores, where there are usually surveillance cameras.

However, the best precaution is to install a camera on the car.According to the NHK News Web site, sales of car surveillance cameras have increased since the footage of the accident by 40% in Tokyo, with a growing desire to record not only what is happening in front of the car. The car and behind it, but inside too. The main reason for the increase in sales is that drivers want to gather evidence in case they are attacked. The Tottori state encourages this civic thinking by providing partial support for the purchase of driving cameras by individuals.

Consumers can also purchase external posters to tell other drivers that there is a surveillance camera on board, thus deterring potential attackers. All of these proactive measures mean that road rage is a fact, and that all drivers must protect themselves. Psychologists say road assailants often target "ordinary people" who drive small cars and are not expected to react. The Japan Anger Management Association advises aggressive drivers to chew gum when they are worried about traffic, or look at photographs of their families. The idea is that they will understand that reckless and impulsive leadership has serious consequences.

Pedestrians on top of traffic deaths

In Japan, pedestrians account for a disproportionately high proportion of traffic deaths compared to other countries, partly because Japanese drivers feel they always have priority on the road even at pedestrian crossings. Many pedestrians seem to believe this too. One says that he always assumed that pedestrians do not have the right to cross the road in Japan, as they do in other countries, because he rarely sees drivers stop at designated crossings even when there are pedestrians on the road.

Fortunately, the police are now monitoring drivers who do not give priority to pedestrians, which means that they are eventually enforcing laws that many drivers have forgotten or did not take seriously. Being behind the wheel, it seems that some drivers tend to be in their own world.

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