Japanese Train Stations Repositions Benches to Prevent Drunken Deaths
I wonder if this is something we will eventually see happen at all South Korean subway stations as well:
To prevent drunken people falling off platforms or being hit by trains, railway operators across Japan are turning benches at their stations sideways to the tracks.
The move is driven by a study that showed that moving them perpendicular to tracks could be the difference between life and death for passengers who have had one too many.
West Japan Railway Co. (JR West)’s Safety Research Institute examined security camera footage in 2014 of 136 inebriated people who fell onto the tracks and made contact with trains.
It found that 60 percent fell after suddenly standing up from benches and elsewhere and then heading straight toward the tracks. The result shattered the common notion that most such accidents are caused by people standing or walking too close to the platform’s edge.
About 25 percent of the accident victims, the second largest number, stood or sat motionless on the edge of platforms and then fell, while only 15 percent tottered and lost their footing.
Asahi Shimbun
You can read more at the link.
I don’t think South Korea needs this since Korean subways have protective doors that prevent falls onto tracks. Japan still doesn’t.
I had the chance recently to work in Korea and Japan, and I found Japan really behind South Korea, completely destroying my prenotions of the countries that I had. While South Korea is thinking about 4th industrial revolution, and AI, Japan is still stuck in the analogue age. Korea has paperless offices, while Japan still uses fax and slow mail. Everyone in Korea uses credit cards, Japan on the other hand still largely depends on cash notes because Japan’s credit card system is not up to standards. Japan still seems to stuck in the 1990’s which was shocking.
Roses1, good points about Japan, also felt the same on my visits to Japan (similar feeling when visiting Taiwan too).
Reference platform doors, they are not the be all end all…nothing ever is. But not necessarily the only solution. http://m.skt.skku.edu/news/articleView.html?idxno=267
@Roses1 and Flyingsword, I just came back from a trip to Japan and used my credit card everywhere with no issues. I can’t remember ever going to Japan and having any issues using credit cards.
With that said I do agree with the overall point that South Korea is pushing technology in every day life more than Japan. For example a little thing like at parking garages in Korea where they automatically take a picture of your license plate instead of giving out a ticket when you drive in. Then you can pay online for your parking instead of paying a teller or going to a parking machine.
It just seems that little things like that, Korea is looking to automate more than Japan.