Prius Missile
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{short description|Japanese internet slang referring to Toyota Prius crashing from sudden acceleration}}
File:Car crash nobody hurt airbags deployed.jpg
{{nihongo|"Prius Missile"|プリウス・ミサイル|Puriusu-Misairu|lead=yes}} is an internet slang term originating from Japan in the 2010s. The term is used in Japan to describe the Toyota Prius as a "missile", as it is driven by older drivers who have been involved in traffic accidents and crashed into buildings. The slang term is thought to have emerged from the prevalence of Japanese news reports showing images of the Prius involved in traffic accidents caused by sudden unintended acceleration, such as the Higashi-Ikebukuro runaway car crash in 2019.
Origin
The slang term originated in Japan towards the end of the 2010s at a time when an increase in car accidents caused by older drivers accidentally accelerating received wider attention. The internet compared the incidents of cars suddenly accelerating into buildings and crashing to that of a missile. Due to the anecdotal observation that many of the drivers involved in such accidents were driving the brand and make of the Toyota Prius, that slang evolved to incorporate the Prius with an image of a missile.{{Cite web |last=Hatachi |first=Kota |date=2019-06-05 |title=福岡の高齢者逆走「またプリウス」の誤情報、拡散したトレンドブログ 川崎殺傷では「犯人は在日」のデマも |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/jp/kotahatachi/fukuoka-prius |access-date=2025-01-18 |website=BuzzFeed |language=ja}} The Higashi-Ikebukuro runaway car crash in 2019 was one notable example of an incident that received coverage.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the accident rate of the Prius does not differ from other vehicles.{{Cite web |title=ハイブリッド車等の交通事故実態について |url=https://www.mlit.go.jp/common/000044198.pdf}} Subsequent investigation of the cause of the Higashi-Ikebukuro runaway crash found that it was not caused by the failure of the 2nd Prius model.{{Cite web |date=2019-04-20 |title=車に不具合見つからず＝８７歳男性、運転ミスか－母子死亡の暴走事故・警視庁：時事ドットコム |work=時事ドットコム |url=https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2019042000282&g=soc |access-date=2024-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420080438/https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2019042000282&g=soc |archive-date=April 20, 2019 }}
Japanese journalist {{ill|Masaki Kubota|ja|窪田順生}} reported that the viral spread of the internet slang term and the creation of the Prius's public image as a crash-prone car is thought to be caused by several different factors, including large numbers of Prius vehicles in use in Japan, the car's popularity with older drivers, older drivers usually being overconfident in their driving skills, and the Prius's significance as a well-known car model.{{Cite web |title=なぜ「プリウス」はボコボコに叩かれるのか 「暴走老人」のアイコンになる日 |url=https://www.itmedia.co.jp/business/articles/1904/23/news048.html |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=ITmedia ビジネスオンライン |language=ja}}
Impact and prevention
The slang went viral after the Higashi-Ikebukuro runaway car crash in April 2019, as the number of Google searches skyrocketed in that month.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-09 |title=2019年から検索急上昇！ 「プリウスミサイル」というネットスラングが流行したワケ {{!}} Merkmal（メルクマール） |url=https://merkmal-biz.jp/post/58811#google_vignette |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=Merkmal（メルクマール） {{!}} 交通・運輸・モビリティ産業の最新ビジネスニュース |language=ja}} Hashtags on Twitter, like #プリウスミサイル (Prius Missile) and #今日のプリウス (Today's Prius) were seen due to the frequency of the vehicle's appearance during car crashes involving older drivers.{{Cite web |title=大事なのは事故を未然に防ぐこと トヨタが「急アクセル時加速抑制機能」を導入した理由 |url=https://www.webcg.net/articles/-/42951 |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=webCG |language=ja |archive-date=December 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213162359/https://www.webcg.net/articles/-/42951 |url-status=live }}
Toyota executive {{ill|Yoshida Moritaka|ja|吉田守孝}} told shareholders in June 2019 that the company was cooperating with police investigations into the accidents and that he was personally committed to promoting a safe car society. In July 2020, the Toyota Prius PHV was equipped with features to prevent sudden acceleration. The 5th-generation Prius in 2022 also had changes in shift levers and pedals to prevent sudden accelerations.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-22 |title=もう「プリウスミサイル」とは呼ばせない！ 世界で話題のトヨタ新型「5代目プリウス」がメチャ凄い！ もはや「プリウスロケット」といえる走りの魅力とは |url=https://kuruma-news.jp/post/594405 |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=くるまのニュース |language=ja}}