Changing clothes while driving “about 48 times, I guess”…1-year-old child died “defendant in ‘driving while’ accident told” bizarre behavior.

To save time: ……”

On April 13, the defendant was questioned at the Kochi District Court. The defendant answered the prosecutor’s questions in a stern tone without hesitation, and the exchange was bizarre and unbelievable.

Toshihiro Takezaki, 61, was charged with vehicular manslaughter after a head-on collision two years ago. On the day of the trial, the prosecutor asked the defendant a series of questions about his daily practice of “driving while doing so” while driving, including the following

Prosecutor: How many times in total did you change your clothes and pants (while driving)?

Defendant: An average of two to three times a month, or over a two-year period, well, about 48 times. I don’t remember for sure.

Prosecution: Why do you do it while driving?

Defendant: To save time. ……

Prosecution: You can do it after you arrive. Why do you do it so lopsidedly?

Defendant: I’m sorry. To save time, please visit …….

The danger of “zipping while driving” has become a major social issue, and penalties have been tightened over the past few years. However, I had no idea that there were drivers who even “change their pants” while driving on motorways. ……

The out-of-the-ordinary driving behavior described in the courtroom caused the audience in the audience room to sigh.

The accident occurred on September 21, 2024, at around 0:50 p.m. on the Kochi-Tobu Expressway. Takezaki was driving his own car (a Crown crossover) after finishing a round of golf in the morning when he suddenly broke through the center line into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with an oncoming car carrying a family of four. The moment was clearly recorded on the drive recorder of the victim car.

The accident seriously injured the driver, Yukiya Jinno (33 at the time), and his wife, Ayano (37), who was riding in the front passenger seat, and killed their oldest son, Kouei (1), who was riding in the back seat.

Takezaki was indicted at home 11 months after the accident. According to the indictment, the defendant was overconfident in the “Lane Tracing Assist (LTA)” system installed in his car, which assists drivers to stay in the center of their lane, and when he reached for the front passenger seat to change from his leather shoes to sandals, he unbuckled his seatbelt and swerved right into the oncoming lane. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge.

The defendant, who admitted to the charges, stated, “I am very sorry for causing the accident, and I did something that cannot be undone. I think I should go to jail,” and apologized to Kanno and his wife in court. However, he repeatedly stated that he had no recollection of what happened at the time of the accident and that he did not remember what he did in the car, and as a result, he never spoke about the accident in his own words.

Ayano, who lost her child who had just turned one year old and was seriously injured herself, took advantage of the victim participation system to ask Takezaki direct questions.

Why did you habitually drive dangerously?

I was a lazy driver.”

In response to her mother’s probing question, Takezaki replied with a downcast look on his face, “I was negligent.

I was negligent. I’m sorry. ……

Although we hear the term “automated driving” used more and more often these days, the cars currently on the market in Japan have only Level 1 and Level 2 “driver assistance systems” (the highest level is 5), which require “driver monitoring”.

In other words, even if a car has a “Lane Tracing Assist (LTA)” function, it does not assume that the driver will take his/her hands off the steering wheel, much less change pants or shoes while driving.

In the past few years, there has been an outcry that such “distracted driving” while driving, including the use of cell phones, and resulting in a serious accident, should be considered “dangerous driving” rather than “negligent driving” and punished. However, the bill to amend the “Dangerous Driving Causing Death or Injury” law, approved by the Cabinet at the end of March of this year, did not include the category of “driving while distracted” in the bill.

At a press conference held after the trial on the day of the trial, the father, Yukiya, made the following statement: “During the trial today, I was so angry that I was shaking and trembling.

During the trial today, I was shaking with anger. I also found out that he was ready to drink and drive, and I wondered how he would change his pants while driving. I wondered why my son was killed by such a person, and how far I had to go to make fun of him and put up with him. ……

And I felt again that it is really inexcusable that such a dangerous “driving while doing so” is not included in the “dangerous driving causing death or injury” section in this amendment to the law. Once a life is taken away, there is no coming back. I really think that unless more people think about this, it will never change, and I hope to do what I can for the sake of my son who passed away.

The next trial is scheduled to conclude on June 3.