Traffic cop's negligence causes crash in Nagano

CHIKUMA, Nagano -- A police car collided with another car at an intersection here while patrolling the area as part of the annual year-end safety campaign, investigators said.

The officer admitted that he was careless. "I was thinking about the patrol route," he was quoted as telling his bosses.

"A police officer, who is supposed to play a leading role in preventing accidents, caused one himself during the year-end safety campaign. We're sorry," a police official said.

At around midnight on Monday, the car driven by Sergeant Hiroo Shima, 52, collided with a small car driven by a 29-year-old woman at an intersection along Route 403 in the Inariyama district of Chikuma, local police said. Both the sergeant and the woman suffered slight injuries in the accident.

パトカー事故：年末警戒中に乗用車と衝突、女性重傷　長野
　

２４日午前０時ごろ、長野県千曲市稲荷山の国道４０３号交差点で、同県警千曲署生活安全課の志摩洋雄巡査部長（５２）運転のパトカーと、同市八幡の女性会社員（２９）運転の軽乗用車が出合い頭で衝突。女性は右手骨折などの重傷、志摩巡査部長も右肩打撲などの軽傷を負った。

　同署の調べでは、パトカーは年末特別警戒パトロール中。赤色の点滅信号で一時停止せずに交差点へ進入した。パトカーは赤色回転灯を点灯していた。乗用車側は黄色の点滅信号だった。志摩巡査部長は「次の警戒場所やその道順について考え事をしていた」などと話したという。同署の手塚博邦副署長は「年末安全運動期間中であり、事故防止を率先しなければいけない警察官が事故を起こし、大変申し訳ありません。再発防止を署員に徹底したい」と話している。【池乗有衣】

December 24, 2007

Mainichi