Driving rules

309 questions

• On a road that has no sidewalk and no roadside strip wide enough for pedestrians — that is, no separation between the pedestrian area and the roadway — pedestrians must keep to the right edge of the road.
• On a road where the sidewalk is separated from the roadway, pedestrians may choose freely between walking on the sidewalk or on the roadway.
• When walking on a sidewalk that has a section designated for bicycles, pedestrians should make an effort to avoid that section as much as possible.
• Pedestrians must not cross the road immediately in front of or behind a vehicle, but this prohibition does not apply when crossing at a pedestrian crossing, or when crossing in accordance with a traffic signal or a police officer's hand signal.
• Even where road signs prohibit pedestrians from crossing, a pedestrian may cross the road as long as they check both directions carefully and no vehicles are coming.
• When pedestrians cross a road at a place near a pedestrian crossing, they must use that crossing to cross.
• At an intersection, pedestrians may cross diagonally even where no road sign permits it.
• On a road with a sidewalk or roadside strip separated from the roadway, vehicles must drive on the roadway.
• When crossing a sidewalk to enter or leave a facility off the road, slowing down is enough and you do not need to stop.
• When it is unavoidable in order to enter or leave a facility off the road, a vehicle may cross a bicycle path.
• A car may drive along a bicycle path as long as the path is not crowded.
• As a rule, vehicles must drive on the left half of the road, measured from the center.
• You may cross over to the right half of the road to overtake when the left half of the road is less than 8 meters wide.
• On a one-way street, a vehicle may drive over into the right half of the road.
• A vehicle may enter a safety zone as long as there are no pedestrians in it.
• Except on a one-way street, when you must cross into the right half of the road you have to keep the amount of crossing over as small as possible.
• On a road where a maximum speed is posted by a road sign, you must not drive faster than that posted speed limit.
• On a road with no posted speed limit sign, there is no speed limit at all and you may drive at any speed.
• On a road where a minimum speed is posted by a road sign, a motor vehicle must not travel slower than that minimum speed.
• On a road with a posted minimum speed, driving slower than that minimum is never allowed, not even when it is unavoidable in order to prevent danger.
• You must not turn left or right to enter a facility off the road, cross the road, make a U-turn, or reverse when doing so is likely to obstruct the normal movement of pedestrians or other vehicles.
• Even where a road sign prohibits U-turns, you may make a U-turn as long as you do not obstruct other traffic.
• When driving directly behind another vehicle traveling on the same path, you must keep enough distance to avoid hitting it even if it stops suddenly.
• The duty to keep a safe following distance applies only to cars, not to mopeds or other vehicles.
• A vehicle must not change its course without good reason.
• If changing course would force a vehicle coming up from behind in that course to suddenly change its speed or direction, you may still change course as long as you signal.
• When your lane is marked by a road marking that prohibits changing course, you may never cross that marking, not even when road works or damage make your lane impassable.
• When overtaking another vehicle, you must, as a general rule, pass on the right side of the vehicle being overtaken.
• When overtaking a streetcar (tram) you have caught up with, you must as a rule pass on its right side.
• A vehicle about to overtake must pay close attention not only to oncoming and following traffic, but also to the traffic ahead of the vehicle being overtaken.
• Overtaking is banned near the top of an uphill slope, but it is allowed on a steep downhill slope.
• When you catch up with a tram (streetcar) that has stopped to let passengers get on or off, you must in principle stop behind it.
• Where there is no safety island and nobody is getting on or off the streetcar, you may pass slowly on its left side as long as you can keep a gap of at least 1 meter.
• When you catch up to a vehicle that has stopped, or is slowing down in order to stop, because of a traffic signal or a police officer's order, you must not pass alongside it and cut in front of it, nor cross in front of it.
• The ban on cutting in applies only in front of the lead vehicle that has stopped; it is not prohibited to cut in front of the vehicles queued behind it that are also stopped or moving slowly.
• A vehicle entering a roundabout must not obstruct the progress of vehicles already traveling inside the roundabout.
• A vehicle must always come to a complete stop before entering a roundabout.
• When entering or driving inside a roundabout, you must pay special attention not only to other vehicles but also to pedestrians crossing at or near the roundabout.
• On a road with marked traffic lanes, if road signs or markings designate which lane to use for each direction of travel at an intersection, you must drive in the lane that matches your intended direction.
• Even when the road is damaged or under construction and there is no other choice, you must still always follow the designated lane markings.
• Specified small mopeds (such as electric kick scooters) are excluded from the duty to follow the designated lane when the direction to take at an intersection is designated by signs or markings.
• When turning left or right at a roundabout, you must move as far to the left edge of the road as possible in advance, and drive as close as possible along the outer edge of the roundabout.
• When going straight through a roundabout or making a U-turn there, you do not need to slow down to a crawl.
• At an intersection without traffic signals, you may obstruct vehicles on the crossing road even when that road is clearly wider than the road you are on.
• When entering an intersection without traffic signals where the crossing road is a priority road, you must always come to a complete stop.
• When entering or driving through an intersection, you must pay special attention to oncoming vehicles turning right and to pedestrians crossing, and proceed at the safest possible speed and in the safest possible manner.
• At an intersection without traffic signals, a streetcar must not obstruct another streetcar approaching from its right on the crossing road.
• An emergency vehicle may cross over into the right-hand side of the road when it is unavoidably necessary, such as when overtaking.
• An emergency vehicle does not have to stop where the law would normally require a stop, and may pass straight through without slowing down at all.
• When a pedestrian is crossing or about to cross at a pedestrian crossing, you must come to a complete stop just before the crossing and must not obstruct them.
• When passing a vehicle stopped before a pedestrian crossing and moving ahead of it, slowing down is enough and you do not need to stop completely.
• Passing a vehicle travelling ahead of you is prohibited only on a pedestrian crossing and within 10 metres before it.
• Under the Road Traffic Act, the term "pedestrian crossing, etc." covers only pedestrian crossings and does not include bicycle crossing lanes.
• When you are about to enter an intersection where you cannot see clearly to the left and right, you must proceed slowly — jokō, a speed at which you can stop immediately — except when traffic at that intersection is being controlled (by traffic lights or a police officer) or when you are travelling on a priority road.
• You must slow down near the top of an uphill slope, but you do not need to slow down on a steep downhill slope.
• When turning left, you must move as close as possible to the left edge of the road in advance, and then proceed slowly (jokō) along that left edge.
• When a car turns right, it must move toward the center of the road in advance and then pass slowly just OUTSIDE the center point of the intersection.
• When a specified small motorized bicycle (electric kick scooter) turns right, it must move to the left edge of the road in advance and go slowly along the edge of the intersection.
• On a one-way street, a car turning right must still move toward the center of the road in advance.
• A "multi-lane road" where a general motorized bicycle (moped) must make a two-stage right turn is defined as a road with two or more marked traffic lanes.
• Even on a multi-lane road, if a road sign designates that general motorized bicycles (mopeds) should move to the center or right edge, the two-stage right turn method does not apply.
• When the vehicle ahead signals that it is moving over to turn left or right, the vehicle behind must not obstruct that change of course, unless yielding would force it to change its speed or direction suddenly.
• You may neither stop nor park within 5 meters of the edge of an intersection or of a road corner.
• The law sets the no-stopping and no-parking zone at a pedestrian crossing as within 10 meters before and after it.
• You may neither stop nor park within 10 meters before or after a railroad crossing.
• On a road with a safety zone (a marked island in the roadway for pedestrians), the part of the road to the left of that zone, and the area within 10 meters before and after that part, is a no-stopping and no-parking zone.
• The area within 10 meters of a bus stop sign is a no-stopping and no-parking zone at all times, even outside the bus service hours.
• Inside a tunnel or near the top of a hill, parking is prohibited but stopping is allowed.
• You must not park within 1 meter of a fire alarm.
• Where road construction is underway, parking is prohibited only within 3 metres of the edge of the work area.
• Parking is prohibited within 5 meters of the vehicle entrance/exit of a facility located off the road that is used for picking up or dropping off people or for loading and unloading goods.
• As a rule, you must not park where doing so would leave less than 3.5 meters of open road space on the right side of your vehicle.
• Even at a place where there is not enough space on the right side of your vehicle, you may park if you are loading or unloading goods and you do not leave the vehicle.
• Even on a section of road where stopping and parking are prohibited by law, if a road sign indicates that stopping or parking is allowed for part of that section, you may stop or park there.
• On a section of road where stopping and parking are prohibited by law, you must never park, even if a road sign indicates parking is permitted for part of that section.
• When stopping to let people get in or out, you must pull over as close as possible to the left edge of the road and avoid obstructing other traffic.
• When parking, you must park along the right edge of the road.
• Where there is a roadside strip (rosokutai) along the left edge of the roadway, as a rule you must pull into that strip when stopping or parking, without obstructing other traffic.
• Where a road sign specifies how you must stop or park, you have to stop or park in exactly that specified way.
• Even where a road sign specifies how to stop or park, the general rule of stopping along the left edge of the road takes priority, so you may ignore what the sign says.
• The stopping and parking exemption for vehicles displaying an elderly-driver permit applies to large vehicles driven by elderly drivers and others.
• With the elderly driver permit displayed, you may park anywhere that parking is otherwise prohibited.
• If the elderly driver permit is lost or damaged, the holder cannot apply for a replacement.
• If the driver's licence is revoked or expires, returning the elderly driver permit is optional, not required.
• People with limited physical function due to pregnancy or similar reasons can also qualify for the permit.
• In a time-limited parking zone reserved for elderly and other designated drivers, vehicles that do not display the elderly-driver permit must not park there.
• Even if you have received a parking permit from the police station chief for a time-limited parking zone, you must not keep the vehicle parked after the designated end time has passed.
• A vehicle with a parking permit for a time-limited parking zone still gets the exemption from the time limit and the parking-meter rules even if it parks in a place or manner different from the one specified in the permit.
• In a time-limited parking zone marked by road signs as a section where vehicles may park, you may stop even at places where stopping is normally prohibited, such as near an intersection.
• As long as it is inside a time-limited parking zone, the exemption allowing you to stop in a no-stopping place applies even where signs have not designated that part of the road as one where vehicles may park.
• When approaching an intersection controlled by traffic signals or a police officer, if the traffic ahead means you would end up stopped inside the intersection and block vehicles on the crossing road, you must not enter the intersection.
• Even if the traffic ahead means you would end up stopped on a railroad crossing, it is acceptable to enter the crossing.
• In a time-limited parking zone, you must not keep your vehicle parked beyond the time shown on the road sign.
• When you park in a time-limited parking zone, you must start the parking meter or take a parking ticket immediately.
• A parking ticket you have received only needs to be kept inside the car; it does not need to be displayed where it can be seen.
• Any vehicle may park freely in a time-limited parking zone reserved for permit-holding elderly and other designated drivers.
• In a time-limited parking zone, you must park in the part of the road and in the manner designated by road signs.
• In a time-limited parking zone, the permitted parking time is counted from the moment the driver walks away from the vehicle.
• On a road with a bicycle path (jitensha-do), a standard bicycle must ride on the bicycle path, except when crossing a roadway other than the bicycle path or when circumstances make it unavoidable.
• A bicycle that is towing another vehicle still counts as a "standard bicycle" (futsu-jitensha) under the Road Traffic Act.
• When a bicycle is about to pass through an intersection and there is a bicycle crossing (jitensha-oudantai — a marked crossing band for bicycles, the bicycle version of a pedestrian crosswalk) at or near that intersection, the rider must use it.
• Even if there is a road marking just before an intersection prohibiting entry, a standard bicycle may cross that marking and enter the intersection as long as the rider checks that it is safe.
• On expressway main lanes, driving below the minimum speed is never permitted, not even when it is unavoidable in order to prevent danger.
• On expressways, you must not stop or park your vehicle, except in cases such as when required by law, ordered by a police officer, or stopping briefly to avoid danger.
• On an expressway, stopping briefly in order to prevent danger still counts as a violation of the ban on stopping.
• Even on an expressway, you may stop or park in an area that has been marked out for parking.
• If a breakdown or similar reason makes stopping unavoidable on an expressway, you are allowed to stop on a road shoulder or roadside strip that is wide enough.
• Stopping at an expressway toll gate to pay the toll is not recognized as an exception to the ban on stopping.
• A route bus is allowed to stop at a bus stop on its own route to let passengers get on and off.
• On roads other than expressway main lanes (and their acceleration/deceleration lanes), the statutory maximum speed for a motor vehicle (jidosha) is 60 km/h.
• On roads other than expressways, the statutory maximum speed for a moped (gentsuki) is 40 km/h.
• When a motor vehicle tows another vehicle, the maximum speed is 40 km/h where a vehicle with a gross weight of 2,000 kg or less is towed by a motor vehicle whose gross weight is at least three times that, and 20 km/h in all other cases.
• When a moped (gentsuki) tows another vehicle on the road, its maximum speed is 25 km/h.
• When an emergency vehicle travels on roads other than the main lanes of a national expressway (and its acceleration/deceleration lanes), its maximum speed is 100 km/h.
• Among roadside strips meant for pedestrians to walk in, the ones a car must not pull into are those 1 metre or less in width.
• When stopping or parking inside a roadside strip meant for pedestrians, you must leave 0.75 meters of space on the left side of your vehicle.
• When stopping or parking inside a roadside strip that is not for pedestrian use, you must keep to the left edge of that strip.
• On the main lanes of a national expressway, the maximum speed for an ordinary vehicle (futsu jidosha) is 100 km/h.
• On the main lanes of a national expressway, the maximum speed for a standard-size motorcycle is 80 km/h.
• A large vehicle that is not built for carrying passengers may travel at up to 90 km/h on expressway main lanes.
• For vehicles that fall into neither the 100 km/h nor the 90 km/h category for maximum speed on expressway main lanes — such as tractor-trailers and three-wheeled vehicles — the maximum speed is 70 km/h.
• An emergency vehicle running on expressway main lanes has a maximum speed of 100 km/h.
• When opening the door or getting out of the car, the driver must check that it is safe behind.
• When getting in or out, check for vehicles coming from behind, and where traffic is heavy use the left-side door.
• When opening the door to get out, you should swing it wide open at once and get out quickly.
• The seat should be positioned so that your knee is slightly bent when the clutch is fully pressed.
• It is acceptable to drive while wearing geta (wooden sandals) or high heels.
• It is fine to drive with your elbow resting on the window frame.
• Except when properly using the automated driving system of an autonomous vehicle, you must not use a mobile phone while driving.
• Staring at the car navigation screen while driving is not dangerous because you are not holding anything.
• Only the driver and front passenger need seat belts; rear-seat passengers do not have to wear them.
• If the car has airbags, you do not need to wear a seat belt.
• With a three-point seat belt, the shoulder belt should be positioned so it does not cross your neck.
• During pregnancy you should wear only the lap belt and not the shoulder belt.
• Reversing out is dangerous, so when parking in a garage you should back in so you can drive out forwards.
• On a road with good visibility where the left half is less than 6 meters wide, you may cross over into the right half to overtake another vehicle, unless a sign or road marking prohibits it.
• On a one-way street, when you drive on the right half of the road, you must still keep the amount you cross over to a minimum.
• Where there are two lanes going in the same direction, you must drive in the right-hand lane.
• Where there are three or more lanes in the same direction, the far-right lane should be left free for overtaking.
• If you use the far-right lane to overtake, you must return to another lane as soon as you have finished overtaking.
• On a road without marked lanes, you must keep to the left side of the road except when unavoidable, such as when overtaking.
• On a road with marked lanes, it is acceptable to straddle two lanes while driving.
• You must not change lanes without good reason; you should stay in the same lane.
• Large, medium and semi-medium vehicles are lower than ordinary cars, so there is no need to check the height when passing a place with a height restriction.
• When an emergency vehicle approaches near an intersection, you must move to the left side of the road clear of the intersection and stop.
• On a one-way street, you must always pull over to the left for an emergency vehicle, even if doing so would actually block it.
• When a route bus at a stop signals to pull out, a following vehicle must never obstruct it, even if avoiding it would require sudden braking or steering.
• Even on a road with a designated route-bus-only lane, small special vehicles, mopeds and light vehicles (such as bicycles) may use that lane.
• On a road with no sidewalk or roadside strip, you must not drive on the shoulder, which is the 0.5-meter strip at the edge of the road.
• A general motorized bicycle (moped) may be ridden at speeds up to 40 km/h.
• As long as you stay within the posted maximum speed, you may always drive at that full speed even in bad weather or poor visibility.
• Stopping distance is the sum of the reaction (free-running) distance and the braking distance.
• When a driver is tired, they notice danger sooner, so the reaction distance becomes shorter.
• Braking distance becomes longer on a wet road or when the vehicle is carrying a heavy load.
• On a wet road with worn tyres, the stopping distance can stretch to about twice that on a dry road with tyres in good condition.
• Because large and medium-sized vehicles have a high driver's seat, the gap to the vehicle ahead feels shorter than it really is, so drivers tend to leave too much space.
• The proper way to brake is to press the pedal hard all at once from the very beginning.
• Applying the brakes in several separate presses makes the brake lights flash, signalling to the car behind and helping prevent rear-end collisions.
• When making an emergency stop in a car with ABS, you should pump the brake pedal lightly several times.
• You must slow down (proceed at a speed that allows an immediate stop) at an intersection with poor visibility to the left and right, where there is no traffic control by signals and you are not on a priority road.
• When passing behind a streetcar stopped at a stop, if no one is getting on or off and there is at least 1.5 meters of space between your car and the streetcar, you may proceed at a slow speed.
• You must not overtake or pass another vehicle within 50 meters before a pedestrian crossing or a bicycle crossing.
• When passing near a pedestrian, you must always come to a complete stop.
• When passing beside a safety island where pedestrians are present, you must slow down.
• When another vehicle is stopped just before a pedestrian crossing, you may simply slow down as you pass it and move ahead.
• When approaching a pedestrian crossing, unless it is clear that no one is crossing, you must reduce speed so that you can stop before it.
• You may pass a person carrying a white or yellow cane, or a person with a guide dog, at your normal speed as long as you pay attention.
• When a child is walking alone, you must stop or slow down so the child can pass safely.
• When passing a stopped school or kindergarten bus, you must slow down and check that it is safe.
• When crossing a sidewalk or roadside strip to enter or leave a place beside the road, slowing down is enough and you do not have to stop.
• You must stop or slow down for an elderly person who has difficulty walking, such as someone using a cane or a walking aid.
• Except when unavoidable to avoid danger, you must not squeeze in beside or cut in front of a car displaying a beginner driver mark.
• A car displaying the elderly driver mark is driven by a person aged 75 or over.
• Bicycles and specified small motorized bicycles (electric kick scooters) are, as a rule, supposed to ride on the sidewalk.
• When turning left, you must signal upon reaching a point 30 meters before the place where you intend to turn (or before the intersection, if turning at one).
• When changing lanes to the left while continuing in the same direction, you must signal about 3 seconds before you start to change lanes.
• When turning right or making a U-turn, it is sufficient to signal upon reaching a point 10 meters before the place where you will do so.
• The signal for slowing down or stopping must be given 30 meters before the point where you will slow down or stop.
• To signal that you are reversing, use the reversing lights, or extend your arm outside the vehicle diagonally downward with the palm facing backward and move it back and forth.
• After finishing a lane change or similar maneuver, it is better to keep the signal on in preparation for your next move.
• You must not give a signal when there is no need to do so.
• When your turn signals are hard to see, for example because of glare from the setting sun, you should also give a hand signal in addition to using the indicators.
• Inside a section marked with the "Sound Horn Zone" sign, you must sound your horn when passing a blind intersection, a blind bend, or the crest of an uphill slope.
• Apart from cases where it is unavoidable to prevent danger, you may freely sound your horn anywhere, even outside the locations designated by signs.
• Where lanes are separated by a yellow line, you must not change lanes across that yellow line.
• Even if changing lanes would force a following vehicle to brake or swerve sharply, it is acceptable to change lanes as long as you signal.
• When turning left to leave the road, you must first move toward the center of the road and proceed slowly.
• You must not overtake a vehicle that is itself in the process of overtaking another car.
• Even when a vehicle behind you is starting to overtake you, you may go ahead and overtake the car in front of you.
• Near a corner or bend in the road, you must not change course to overtake a car or general motorized bicycle (moped), nor pass by its side.
• You must not overtake a car near the crest of an uphill slope or on a steep downhill slope.
• Inside a tunnel, overtaking is always prohibited regardless of whether the tunnel has marked traffic lanes.
• At an intersection and within 30 meters before it, overtaking is prohibited unless you are travelling on a priority road.
• At railway crossings, pedestrian crossings and bicycle crossings, overtaking is prohibited only within 10 metres before them.
• You normally overtake another vehicle on its right, but you must pass a streetcar (tram) on its left.
• On a road with marked lanes, after overtaking using the rightmost lane you must promptly return to another lane.
• While a vehicle behind you is overtaking you, it is acceptable to increase your speed before the overtaking is complete.
• In the overtaking procedure, you signal right and then accelerate and move right about 1 second later.
• When the vehicle ahead is stopped or is proceeding slowly (jokō) at a place such as an intersection or railway crossing, you must not cut in front of it or cross in front of it.
• When turning left, you must move as close as possible to the left edge of the road in advance, and then proceed slowly along the side edge of the intersection.
• When turning right, you must move as close as possible to the center of the road in advance and pass slowly just outside the center point of the intersection.
• When turning right, if your car entered the intersection before an oncoming vehicle going straight, you may complete your turn first.
• At an uncontrolled intersection where the roads are of similar width, you must not obstruct a vehicle approaching from your left.
• Where there is a STOP sign, you must come to a complete stop just before the stop line (or just before the intersection if there is no stop line).
• When the signal ahead is flashing yellow, you must always come to a complete stop.
• At an uncontrolled intersection, if the crossing road is a priority road or is wider, you may proceed without slowing down.
• When entering a roundabout, you must slow down and must not obstruct vehicles or streetcars already circulating in it.
• When you intend to turn right at a roundabout (that is, leave by an exit on the right-hand side), you must move as close as possible to the center of the road beforehand.
• If traffic ahead is congested and you might end up stopped inside the intersection and blocking cross traffic, you must not enter even on a green light.
• Large vehicles have a small inner wheel difference (the gap between the paths of the front and rear wheels), so there is almost no risk of catching pedestrians or cyclists on the left when making a left turn.
• Where lanes are designated by direction of travel at an intersection, you must always follow the designation, even when an emergency vehicle is approaching or road works make it unavoidable.
• At an intersection where a sign designates the permitted directions such as straight ahead or left turn, you may only travel in the designated direction.
• Stopping to let people get in or out, or to load/unload cargo for 5 minutes or less, does not count as "parking".
• At an intersection, parking and stopping are prohibited only within 3 metres of the intersection and its edge.
• At a railway crossing, parking and stopping are prohibited only within 5 metres before and after it.
• The area within 10 meters of a bus or streetcar stop sign is a no-stopping zone at all times, regardless of operating hours.
• You must not park within 1 meter of a fire alarm box.
• You must not park within 5 meters of a vehicle entrance/exit of a parking lot, garage, or similar facility.
• You must not park within 5 meters of a fire hydrant or a designated fire water supply sign.
• You must not park where doing so would leave less than 3.5 meters of road space on the right side of your vehicle.
• Where a roadside strip is wide, you may pull into it to park or stop, but you must leave at least 0.75 meters of space.
• Even where a roadside strip (rosokutai) is marked with two solid white lines, you may pull into it to park or stop if it is wide enough.
• On expressways, since pedestrians are prohibited, you should pull into the roadside strip and stop along the left edge of the road.
• The special parking permit can be issued to drivers aged 65 or older who hold a license to drive an ordinary vehicle.
• A vehicle owner must secure a storage space off the road, within 2 kilometers of the vehicle's base of use such as their home.
• When parking on the road, continuous parking in the same spot is prohibited only once it reaches 24 hours.
• An automatic car needs no clutch operation, so driving is less demanding, but you must still never drive it casually or carelessly.
• Before starting the engine, press the brake pedal to confirm where it is, and check the accelerator pedal's position with your eyes.
• When starting the engine of an automatic car, you should confirm the shift lever is in D before starting it.
• To move off, keep the brake pedal firmly pressed and put the shift lever into D to go forward or R to reverse.
• Even if you operate the shift lever without pressing the brake pedal firmly, the car will never lurch forward or suddenly reverse.
• Right after starting the engine or while the air conditioner is running, engine revs are higher and the car may lurch, so press the brake pedal especially firmly.
• While stopped, for example at an intersection, always keep the brake pedal pressed firmly and, as a precaution, also apply the parking brake.
• If you expect to be stopped for a long time, you should put the shift lever into P.
• If the brake pedal is not held down firmly, the car can creep forward slowly even when you are not pressing the accelerator.
• When parking, it is acceptable to shift the lever into P before the car has completely stopped.
• The driver-assistance systems on an Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV) may fail to work properly in some situations, such as when driving above a certain speed.
• Because an Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV) is the same as an automated driving system, the driver does not need to keep checking the surroundings.
• An automated driving system may be used even outside the conditions under which it is designed to operate.
• When the automated driving system asks you to take over, or you notice a malfunction, you must immediately check the surroundings and begin the necessary driving operations.
• On a road where a sign designates a maximum speed, you must not travel below that designated speed.
• On a road with a designated minimum speed, you must not drop below it even when slowing down in accordance with the law, such as at a place where you must drive slowly.
• Even when there is no risk of obstructing pedestrians or other vehicles, you must not turn to enter a facility off the road.
• A vehicle must not change course for any reason whatsoever.
• When you catch up with a vehicle that is slowing to a stop, you must not pass alongside it.
• A vehicle already travelling inside a roundabout must not obstruct a vehicle that is about to enter it.
• When a pedestrian is about to cross at a pedestrian crossing, you must slow down just before the crossing and must not obstruct them.
• You must not stop or park within 10 metres of the edge of an intersection or a bend in the road.
• The places where both parking and stopping are banned are a railroad crossing and within 5 metres before and after it.
• You must not park within 5 metres of a fire alarm.
• As a rule you must not park where doing so would leave less than 5 metres of clear road on the right-hand side of your vehicle.
• In a time-limited parking zone reserved for older drivers, even a vehicle displaying the older-driver permit must not park.
• At an intersection under traffic control you must not enter the intersection on a green light, regardless of the situation of the vehicles ahead.
• When the vehicle ahead signals that it is moving over to turn left or right, the vehicle behind must not overtake it.
• On a road with a separate footway or roadside strip, a vehicle must use the footway.
• As a rule a vehicle must travel on the right-hand side of the centre of the road.
• When you cross into the right-hand side of the road, you must cross over as far as possible.
• When driving directly behind another vehicle you must always keep at least 50 metres of headway.
• When overtaking, you must as a rule pass on the left of the vehicle being overtaken.
• A vehicle about to overtake need not watch the traffic ahead of the vehicle in front, and must watch only oncoming and following traffic.
• When you catch up with a tram stopped to let passengers on and off, you must as a rule pass slowly on its right.
• Even where lanes are assigned by the direction you will take at an intersection, a vehicle must use the leftmost lane.
• When turning left or right at a roundabout, you must first move towards the centre of the road.
• When entering an intersection with poor visibility you must always slow down, even where traffic is being controlled.
• When turning left you must first move towards the centre of the road and pass slowly just inside the centre of the intersection.
• When you stop to let people get in or out, you must keep as close as you can to the right edge of the road.
• Where a roadside strip adjoins the left edge of the carriageway, you must stop or park along the left edge of the carriageway without entering the strip.
• Even where a sign designates how to stop or park, you must follow the general rule and stop along the left edge of the road.
• After parking in a time-limited parking zone, it is enough to start the parking meter when you come back to the car.
• On a road with a bicycle path, an ordinary bicycle must use the path even when crossing the carriageway.
• When a bicycle is about to go through an intersection, it must use the pedestrian crossing even where there is a bicycle crossing nearby.
• On a one-way road you may travel across into the right-hand side of the road.
• On a road with a bicycle path, you may use a part other than the path when crossing the carriageway.
• Where there is no risk of obstructing the normal traffic of pedestrians or other vehicles, you may turn, cross, make a U-turn or reverse in order to enter or leave a facility off the road.
• When you are on a priority road, you do not have to slow down even when entering an intersection with poor visibility.
• At an intersection where traffic is being controlled, you do not have to slow down even if you cannot see to the left and right.
• Even on a road with a designated minimum speed, you do not have to keep to it when it is unavoidable in order to prevent danger.
• A pedestrian walking on a footway is in breach of the law simply by walking on the part designated for ordinary bicycles.
• On a road with a separate footway the carriageway was congested, so I drove along the footway to get ahead.
• The road ahead was clear and there was no oncoming traffic, so I drove on the right-hand side of the centre of the road.
• On a road with a designated maximum speed, everyone around me was going faster, so I kept up with them and exceeded the limit.
• A vehicle behind was close and I risked obstructing it, but I was in a hurry, so I turned right into a shop off the road.
• Driving directly behind another vehicle, I kept enough distance to avoid hitting it if it stopped suddenly.
• On a road with marked lanes I changed lanes again and again for no particular reason.
• When overtaking the vehicle ahead, the right side was busy, so I passed on its left.
• I caught up with a tram stopped to let passengers on and off, so I stopped behind it.
• I caught up with a queue of vehicles stopped at a light, so I passed alongside and cut in at the front.
• About to enter a roundabout, I saw a vehicle already going round, so I waited rather than get in its way.
• Entering an intersection, I watched for oncoming vehicles turning right and for people crossing, and proceeded at a safe speed and in a safe manner.
• A pedestrian was about to cross at a pedestrian crossing, so I stopped just before the crossing.
• Entering an intersection with poor visibility, there was little traffic, so I went straight on without slowing down.
• To turn left, I first moved as close as I could to the left edge of the road and followed it slowly round.
• There was a space 3 metres from the side edge of an intersection, so I parked there.
• There was a space right beside a fire alarm, so I parked there.
• Parking there would have left too little clear road on the right of my car, so I gave up and looked for another spot.
• To let someone out, I stopped as close as I could along the left edge of the road.
• At a place with a roadside strip along the left edge of the roadway (excluding narrow ones and ones marked off as no-stopping), I pulled into the strip and stopped there.
• At an intersection under traffic control, the traffic ahead meant I would have ended up stopped inside it, so I waited without entering.
• On a road with a designated maximum speed, the vehicle behind closed right up, but I stayed within the limit.
• Lanes were assigned by direction at the intersection, but I entered from a different lane because it was clear.
• Turning left at a roundabout, I first moved close to the left edge of the road and followed the edge of the roundabout.
• The vehicle ahead signalled that it was moving over to turn right, so I eased off rather than get in its way.
• There was a space just before a railway crossing, so I parked there and went shopping.
• A time-limited parking zone reserved for older drivers was empty, so I parked my car there without the permit.
• In a time-limited parking zone I went past the time shown on the sign, but my errand was not over, so I stayed parked.
• In a time-limited parking zone, I parked in the part of the road the sign designates, in the way it designates.
• I was riding an ordinary bicycle (futsu jitensha) on a road with a bicycle path, and I used a part other than the bicycle path only when crossing the carriageway.
• About to go through an intersection on my bicycle, there was a bicycle crossing nearby, so I used it.
• On an expressway, I parked in a space marked out for parking.