The moment when participants leave a car meet requires special attention as far as drivers are concerned. While this provides an opportunity for each of them to showcase their rides, the cases when this has turned into reckless driving and eventually led to an accident are not few. And one such recent crash took place last month in Japan, when the young driver of an S14 Nissan Silvia caused a serious crash while appearing to attempt street drifting.
The event in question was one of the first of the year, having been held on January 22. We’re looking at the Fuji All Genre meet, held at Fujisan Messe in the Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
The accident was covered by Japanese media and blogs at the time (you’ll find a Tweet showcasing footage from a Japanese TV station showcasing the event below). Nevertheless, YouTuber Customind uploaded a video of the crash earlier today. This appears to bring new angles, as well as a close-up of the aftermath—we’ll discuss the details of the crash and what was caught on camera shortly.
As stated, the 19-year-old man driving the S14 Silvia, which is known in the U.S. as the second-generation 240SX, ended up sliding his way out of the event.
Initially, the driver followed the path of the others, taking off in a rush, but without breaking traction while performing a 90-degree right turn onto the road just outside the venue. However, and this is our interpretation here, the man subsequently oversteered as he engaged second gear, despite being in traffic and with people “camping” on the sidewalk to spot the vehicles.
After appearing to initiate the drift while on a somewhat bumpy tarmac section, he overcorrected and sent the car sliding over the curb, straight into the parking lot of a small commercial area on the side of the road. Despite the S14 Silvia hitting the curb, we can see no evidence of braking, nor do the revs seem to drop.
As the Nissan went into the parking lot, it exited the camera frame, with obvious accident sounds following shortly. Once some of the said car spotters reached the site of the crash, they filmed the resulting mayhem.
The Silvia had crashed into a fourth-generation Mazda Bongo passenger van and a third-generation Daihatsu Tanto kei car—it appears the accident also pushed the Daihatsu into the window of a convenience store.
Japanese media reported that four people needed medical assistance following the accident. In addition, the S14 Silvia appears to have been totaled, while the two vehicles it hit seem to have sustained less serious damage. As for the driver, he was arrested.
The harsh lesson
Judging by some other Tweets, it appears that the blue S14 Nissan Silvia was known among local enthusiasts and had traded hands last year. If you take a look at the Nissan, the mods on the vehicle, such as the noticeable negative camber of the front wheels, the partial roll cage and others, suggest this may have been set up for drifting. However, that is one thing and attempting such a maneuver on the street, in the middle of the day is another.
For one, this may be an occasion to point out that the Fuji Speedway, which is famous for its drifting events, is less than an hour away from the said location. Perhaps drivers around the world will take notice and decide to keep their emotions in check and avoid such disasters while leaving car meets.
