Toyota Suspends Use of Self-Driving Vehicles After Collision With Paralympics Athlete in Tokyo

Abigail Adams
·2 min read
Toyota Motor Corp. e-Palette vehicles at the internal shuttle bus station during a media tour at the Olympic and Paralympic Village for the Tokyo 2020 Games, constructed in the Harumi waterfront district of Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, June 20, 2021.
Toyota Motor Corp. e-Palette vehicles at the internal shuttle bus station during a media tour at the Olympic and Paralympic Village for the Tokyo 2020 Games, constructed in the Harumi waterfront district of Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, June 20, 2021.
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Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty

Toyota has suspended the use of its autonomous e-Palette vehicles after one struck a visually impaired athlete at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

The Japanese automaker announced the move Friday in a statement addressing the accident, which occurred Thursday within the Athletes' Village. The pedestrian in question was attempting to cross the street at a designated crossing when they were hit.

"Firstly, we would like to express our sincerest apologies to the individual that was injured due to this unfortunate collision and we wish them a speedy recovery," Toyota said in the statement.

The company also apologized "for any inconvenience caused to those who use our mobility vehicles in the Athletes' Village" due to the incident.

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The collision occurred around 2 p.m. local time on Thursday in Tokyo as a visually impaired athlete — identified as Japanese Paralympic judoka Aramitsu Kitazono by the Japanese Times and other local outlets — was trying to cross the road.

Police said an e-Palette bus was turning right at an intersection in the village as Kitazono walked across the street, per the Times. The 30-year-old sustained bruises on his head and body as a result.

Toyota Motor Corp. e-Palette vehicles at the internal shuttle bus station during a media tour at the Olympic and Paralympic Village for the Tokyo 2020 Games, constructed in the Harumi waterfront district of Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, June 20, 2021.
Toyota Motor Corp. e-Palette vehicles at the internal shuttle bus station during a media tour at the Olympic and Paralympic Village for the Tokyo 2020 Games, constructed in the Harumi waterfront district of Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, June 20, 2021.

Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty

Kitazono's coach Yoshiyasu Endo said the athlete will no longer compete in the men's 81-kilogram division on Saturday as he rests following the crash.

"He also wanted to take good care of himself. We feel regret, but I think he is the most disappointed," Endo told the Times.

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Shortly before the accident, authorities said the same bus had stopped after a security guard who was close to the intersection was detected on its sensor.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda personally apologized for the incident on YouTube, noting "there was some overconfidence" in the autonomous driving concept.

"A vehicle is stronger than a person, so I was obviously worried about how they were," he explained in the clip, later noting that the crash "shows that autonomous vehicles are not yet realistic for normal roads."

"We are very sorry that the accident has made many people worried," Toyoda added.

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Toyota said it is "fully cooperating with the police investigation" into the cause of the accident. The company plans to conduct its own "thorough" investigation into the incident and will continue working "closely" with the organizing committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo to prevent similar incidents "from occurring in the future."

A Toyota spokesperson told Business Insider that there is no timetable for resuming the use of e-Palette vehicles at this time.