A 79-year-old [1] man crashed his car into a supermarket entrance in Shimotsuke City, Tochigi Prefecture, injuring a female customer.
The incident highlights ongoing concerns regarding elderly driver safety and pedal misapplication in Japan's aging society.
The crash occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. [3]. According to reports, the vehicle first collided with another car in the parking lot before plowing through the supermarket's automatic doors. A female customer in her 80s [2] suffered injuries to her left leg during the collision.
Police are currently investigating the cause of the accident. The driver said he mistook the accelerator for the brake.
"I mistook the accelerator and the brake," the driver said [1].
The store manager confirmed the impact of the vehicle on the building's infrastructure. "The car and the automatic door collided," the manager said.
Emergency services responded to the scene to treat the injured woman. Local authorities have not yet released details regarding the extent of the damage to the store, or the other vehicle involved in the initial parking lot collision.
“"I mistook the accelerator and the brake,"”
This incident is part of a broader pattern of traffic accidents in Japan attributed to pedal misapplication by elderly drivers. As the population ages, the frequency of such crashes has led to increased public debate over stricter licensing requirements and the adoption of automatic braking technologies to prevent similar tragedies.
