1 Dead, 2 Injured in Tuktuk Accident in Japan’s Resort City

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:48 JST, March 16, 2023

ATAMI, Shizuoka — A tuktuk, or a three-wheeled auto rickshaw, ran over a sidewalk in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Wednesday, killing one pedestrian and injuring two others, one seriously.

The accident happened along National Highway Route 135.

According to the Shizuoka prefectural police and firefighting authorities, the pedestrian killed is a 19-year-old university student from Fujimi, Saitama Prefecture. A man in his 80s from Atami was seriously injured, and a man in his 20s from Saitama Prefecture sustained a minor injury.

The driver of the tuktuk, a man in his 20s from Chiba Prefecture, was not hurt.

The vehicle is one of the tuktuks rented in Atami to tourists with a standard driver’s license.

The driving method for tuktuks is different from ordinary cars, such as using hand to operate the accelerator. Police are investigating to determine the cause of the accident.