Intentional fatal vehicle collisions with oncoming traffic

Survey of forensic autopsy files

Abstract

Among all traffic-related deaths, several percent are reportedly regarded as intentional in foreign countries. Particularly, cases of collisions of passenger cars with large trucks are often likely to be cases of suicide. This retrospective survey of forensic autopsy files was conducted at our department to identify intentional collisions among cases of vehicles entering an opposing lane of traffic, resulting in collisions with oncoming vehicles. During the 17 years of 2002–2018, a total of 193 autopsy cases in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, were road-traffic related. As road users, motor vehicle drivers, specifically excluding bicyclists, accounted for 81 of the victims. In those cases, 11 were killed by head-on collisions in the oncoming lane, one of whom was judged as suicide based on circumstances including eyewitness information. Three cases were associated with antidepressant treatment, heavy drinking, and drug abuse, and were suspected as cases of intentional collision. Collectively, these four cases were of three men and one woman in their forties or fifties who drove passenger cars. The associated vehicles were one compact passenger car, one wagon, and two trucks. Results support the conjecture that some motor vehicle collisions are intended as suicide. Such suicidal cases on roads are specified in traffic statistics in foreign countries, but they are not differentiated in statistics for Japan. Because the relative percentages of suicides and natural deaths are increasing in other countries, Japan might be experiencing similar trends. Detailed investigations of fatal traffic accidents are necessary, particularly of head-on collisions with motor vehicles.