Tragedy: Third-Grader Killed While Crossing a Crosswalk… What Was the “Unexpected Blind Spot” Lurking on “The Road They Always Take”?

“It seems the boy who was killed was on his way to school. I suppose the school or the police must have contacted his family. I still can’t get the sound of a woman—who appeared to be his mother—crying out in anguish at the scene out of my head,” said a neighborhood resident.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m. on July 15, Rikuto Takashima (8), a third-grader who lived nearby, was struck and killed by a cargo van while crossing a crosswalk at an intersection in Nishi-Tokyo City.

“On the 16th, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested Taketoshi Tabuki (59), an employee of a transportation company who was driving the vehicle, on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in death.Suspect Tabuki, who was delivering books to a library, struck Rikuto as he turned right at the intersection where the accident occurred, just as the boy was crossing. It is reported that skid marks approximately 3.5 meters long, appearing to have been dragged after the accident, were left on the road at the scene.

Suspect Tabuki appears to have admitted to the charges, stating, ‘I am sorry for taking the life of a child with such a bright future ahead of him,’” said a reporter from the social affairs desk of a national newspaper.

The scene was an intersection on a metropolitan road with one lane in each direction. It is said that the sidewalks used to be narrow and accidents were frequent, but they have decreased since the sidewalks were improved. From the direction in which Suspect Tabuki’s car was traveling, visibility at the intersection was good, and there was nothing obstructing the view of people attempting to cross the crosswalk on the right side.

Suspect Tabuki reportedly stated , “I know the situation well because I drive on this road frequently. There was no oncoming traffic and the road was clear, so I assumed—without any basis—that no one was crossing the crosswalk,” and “I completely failed to check for safety.” Police are proceeding with their investigation on the assumption that he was distracted by checking for oncoming traffic and did not pay attention to the crosswalk.Additionally, on the 17th, police conducted searches at two locations, including the transportation company where Suspect Tabuki works, to investigate whether there were any issues with the company’s operational management system.

Why did this tragedy occur at an intersection with such good visibility? Mr. Munenori Kumagai, representative of the Traffic Accident Investigation and Analysis Office and a former traffic investigator, offers the following analysis:

“I suspect this suspect was passing through this location around this time of day as usual. Around 9:30 a.m., when the accident occurred, there are typically no children on their way to school. Since there aren’t usually many pedestrians there, he may have turned without checking carefully. Public roads are places where all kinds of people and vehicles pass through, so the mindset of ‘it’s the same as always, so it’s fine’ simply doesn’t hold water.

“Furthermore, while accidents involving people in blind spots are common when turning left, blind spots also exist when turning right. That’s the front right pillar. Pedestrians crossing from the right can sometimes be hidden by it, so it’s possible the driver simply didn’t see the victim.”

However, the excuse that the child was in a blind spot and therefore unseen does not seem to hold water.

“If you turn slowly, the pedestrian will come out of the blind spot. A basic rule of driving is that if there’s a blind spot, you should move your body forward or backward to see what’s on the other side. From the perspective of an accident investigation, failing to see the child means that safety checks were insufficient.

Turning right at an intersection is a situation with many points to check—you must ensure you don’t obstruct oncoming traffic and also watch out for pedestrians at crosswalks. Because the area you need to check is so wide, you have to be extra careful.”

“It’s just my usual route”— such a trivial lapse in concentration led to an irreversible tragedy—.