Protecting pedestrians

72 questions

• When you drive on a pedestrian-only road with special permission, you must slow to a very low speed and pay particular attention to pedestrians.
• A vehicle that is exempt from the no-entry restriction on a pedestrian-only road may drive at normal speed as long as no pedestrians are nearby.
• A blind person walking on a road must carry a white or yellow cane or be accompanied by a guide dog.
• People who are not blind (other than deaf people and people with certain disabilities) must not walk on a road carrying a white or yellow cane.
• Under the Road Traffic Act, a "toddler/infant" (yoji) means a person under 8 years of age.
• A person responsible for a child must not let the child play on a busy road, at a railway crossing, or on roads near one.
• Only police officers have a duty to help an elderly or disabled pedestrian cross a road safely; ordinary people who happen to be there have no such duty.
• On a road with a sidewalk or a sufficiently wide roadside strip, pedestrians must use it, except when road works or similar make it unusable.
• On a road with neither a sidewalk nor a sufficiently wide roadside strip, pedestrians must always walk along the left edge of the road.
• Pedestrians may enter and walk along a cycle track whenever they like, even when the sidewalk is perfectly usable.
• On a pedestrian-only road, pedestrians may walk in the middle of the road, but they still need to watch out because vehicles with special permission may pass through.
• Even where a sign prohibits pedestrian traffic, pedestrians may walk there as long as it is not an expressway or a motor-vehicle-only road.
• If the alarm is not sounding and the crossing gate is not down, you may cross the tracks without checking for safety.
• At night, if a pedestrian can see a car's headlights, the driver can also see the pedestrian clearly.
• When the asphalt is wet from rain, pedestrians become easier to see at night.
• At night, a pedestrian near the center of the road can momentarily disappear from a driver's view because of headlights coming from both directions, so you should avoid stopping there.
• When walking at night, you should wear bright, noticeable clothing and attach reflective material to items such as shoes and bags.
• When walking on rainy days, you should wear a raincoat or other clothing in a bright, noticeable color so drivers can see you easily.
• On rainy days the road surface is slippery, so a car's stopping distance becomes shorter than usual.
• A person operating a small mobility device (idō-yō kogata-sha) follows the same traffic rules as a pedestrian.
• A small mobility device must be able to travel at speeds of up to 10 km/h.
• A person using a small mobility device on the road must display the small mobility device mark.
• A small mobility device must not exceed 120 cm in length and 70 cm in width.
• The category of small mobility device also includes vehicles for people with physical disabilities.
• A motorized vehicle for people with physical disabilities may look similar to a car or a moped.
• A person remotely controlling a remote-controlled small vehicle (delivery robot) is also treated the same as a pedestrian.
• Remote-controlled small vehicles (delivery robots) include those used to carry goods, not only people.
• The emergency stop button of a remote-controlled small vehicle (delivery robot) only needs to be operable from the front of the body.
• A person pushing or riding a children's vehicle such as a tricycle follows pedestrian traffic rules.
• A motorized baby stroller or shopping cart may keep its motor running even after the person using it moves away from it.
• A vehicle meant to be used while walking (such as one whose standard-bicycle saddle has been made unusable) must not exceed 190 cm in length and 60 cm in width.
• Among vehicles used while walking (such as a bicycle with its saddle made unusable), one without a motor only has to meet the size standards.
• A person pushing a bicycle or a motorcycle on foot follows the same traffic rules as a pedestrian.
• Where there is a pedestrian crossing or a signalized intersection nearby, pedestrians must cross there.
• Where a "No Pedestrian Crossing" sign is posted, you may still cross if no cars are coming.
• Pedestrians are encouraged to cross the road using the bicycle crossing (jitensha-oudantai).
• Once the light turns green, you may start crossing immediately without checking whether vehicles and streetcars on the left and right have stopped.
• A flashing green pedestrian signal has the same meaning as a yellow light, and you must not begin crossing once it starts flashing.
• Where there is a push-button pedestrian signal, you should press the button and wait for the green light.
• Crossing a road diagonally is prohibited, but at a scramble crossing you may cross diagonally by following the pedestrian signal.
• At a place without traffic lights, when a car stops for you, it is good to run across so you finish quickly.
• When crossing, you should clearly signal your intention to drivers, for example by raising your hand.
• People who are blind or visually impaired must walk either carrying a white or yellow cane, or accompanied by a guide dog.
• A mobility device for people with disabilities (such as a wheelchair or mobility scooter) is meant for people who have difficulty walking, so other people should not use one on the road.
• Because tactile paving (the yellow textured blocks) is not a walking area, it is acceptable to place luggage or other objects on it.
• As people get older, changes in their physical abilities generally make them walk more slowly, so they need more time to cross a road.
• Even when an older person using a cane or a walking aid is trying to cross the road, people nearby do not need to lend a hand or give them a signal.
• Because many traffic accidents involving older pedestrians happen at night, family members should advise them to wear bright, easy-to-see clothing and to attach reflective material to items such as shoes and canes.
• Most traffic accidents involving children happen while they are crossing a road, or when they dash out into the road to cross it.
• It is acceptable to let children play near busy roads or railway crossings as long as a guardian is watching them.
• When walking along a road with a child, the guardian should walk on the side nearer the traffic.
• If a small child is on the far side of the road, you should call out loudly to get their attention.
• When boarding a car or streetcar, let the child get on first; when getting off, the guardian should get off first.
• Children's clothes and shoes should be chosen in dark, inconspicuous colours.
• When a child is about to cross a road or railway crossing, bystanders should just watch and not get involved.
• To start operating a remote-controlled small vehicle (delivery robot) on the road, you must notify the Public Safety Commission at least three days before you begin.
• A remote-controlled small vehicle (delivery robot) travelling on the road generally follows the same rules as a pedestrian.
• Because a remote-controlled small vehicle (delivery robot) is treated like a pedestrian, it never has to give way even when it would obstruct people walking.
• The person operating a remote-controlled small vehicle (delivery robot) must handle the controls reliably and move it at a speed and in a manner that will not endanger others.
• For general motorized bicycles (mopeds) other than two-wheeled types and designated three-or-more-wheeled types, the engine displacement limit is 50cc or less.
• A roadside strip (rosokutai) is the belt-shaped area along the edge of a road that has no sidewalk, marked off by a white line.
• Except in special cases, specified small motorized bicycles (electric kick scooters) and bicycles follow the same traffic rules as pedestrians.
• A person who cannot hear must not walk on a road carrying a white or yellow cane.
• Even on a road where traffic is not heavy, you must not let a child or infant play there.
• When you drive on a pedestrian-only road with permission, you must come to a complete stop with care for pedestrians.
• On a road with no footway or wide enough roadside strip, pedestrians must keep to the left edge of the road.
• A pedestrian on a footway must walk in the part designated for ordinary bicycles where one exists.
• When crossing the road at a place where there is a pedestrian crossing nearby, a pedestrian may cross by the shortest route without going out of their way to that crossing.
• A person who cannot see must have both a white or yellow cane and a guide dog when walking on a road.
• A person who cannot see who is accompanied by a guide dog does not have to carry a white or yellow cane.
• I drove on a pedestrian-only road with permission and, as there were few pedestrians, I went through without slowing down.
• There was a pedestrian crossing nearby, but it was a detour, so I crossed the road just before it.