Distracted Cyclists to Face Tougher Penalties; Revised Road Traffic Law Also Adds Penalties For Riding While Intoxicated

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, November 2, 2024

Tougher penalties will be levied against anyone who uses a mobile phone while riding a bicycle under the revised Road Traffic Law, which came into effect Friday. The law also imposes penalties for riding a bicycle while under the influence of alcohol.

In the wake of a series of accidents caused by dangerous cycling, police intend to increase public awareness of the law and beef up enforcement.

Distracted cycling refers to acts such as talking on a smartphone or staring at a screen while riding a bicycle. Such actions were already prohibited under prefectural public safety commission rules, with fines of up to ¥50,000 for breaking them. But, the new rules impose a fine of up to ¥100,000 or imprisonment of up to six months for the violation. If their distracted cycling causes an accident, a violator faces up to ¥300,000 in fines or imprisonment of up to a year.

According to the National Police Agency, the number of serious or fatal accidents caused by distracted cycling is on the rise, with 18 such cases reported nationwide between January and June, more than double the number for the same period last year.

The law establishes penalties for bicycling under the influence of 0.15 milligrams or higher of alcohol per liter of breath.

Up until now, rules against drunken cycling applied only in cases in which the cyclist seemed to be too impaired to operate their bicycle properly. Under the new rule, merely riding a bicycle under the influence of alcohol can make a person subject to imprisonment of up to three years or up to ¥500,000 in fines. Anyone who serves alcohol to a customer knowing that they will ride a bicycle afterward may also be punished.