While Washington and New Jersey became the first states to prohibit motorists from text messaging, Japan will enforce similar laws in 2008 — for bike riders.
The ban on text-messaging while riding a bicycle is just one of the new laws enacted for 2008 to make bicycle-riding safer in Japan. Others rules include a ban on triple-riding (an adult hauling two kids by bicycle), riding while holding an umbrella or talking on a cellphone, or listening to music with headphones.
Also to be discouraged — and this is just plain confounding — is constantly ringing a bicycle bell on a footpath. Doesn't just about every hike-bike trail in the US suggest that bicyclists use a bell?
Soaring accidents
The new rules are aimed at reducing accidents involving bicycles, which rose to 4,020 last year, according to the UK's Guardian Unlimited. That's an increase of seven times over the past 10 years.
Meanwhile, bicycle accidents involving pedestrians rose five times over the same period, to about 2,800 last year.
I rarely see a bicyclist talking on a cellphone, but I'm sure it's as distracting for a cyclist as it is for a motorist. I've never seen texting while pedalling, nor holding an umbrella.
Fines
Police in Japan are especially interested in curbing triple-riding, which bring a $183 fine (20,000 yen). Other violations will bring warnings, or now.
Asahi.com reports these are the first bicycle law changes in 30 years and passed last year as part of the road safety law revisions.
Other rules require that parents make sure their children wear bicycle helmets when they ride.
Also bicycle-riding on sidewalks is prohibited in most cases; where it is allowed, switching between the sidewalk and road is discouraged.
Recent Comments