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.

Explanation

Article 31 of the Road Traffic Act requires you to stop behind the tram until passengers have finished getting on and off, and until there is no longer anyone crossing the road in order to board or alight. Exceptions apply only where there is a safety island (safety zone) between you and the tram, or where nobody is boarding or alighting and you can keep a gap of at least 1.5 meters on the tram's left side, in which case you may pass at a slow speed (jokou - slow enough to stop immediately).

Guides that explain this

• The Trickiest Karimen Questions (and How to Not Fall for Them)
• Stopping Distance in Japan: Reaction Distance + Braking Distance

Related terms

• Stopping (teisha)

Related questions

• Where there is no safety island and nobody is…
• When you catch up to a vehicle that has stopped…
• The ban on cutting in applies only in front of…
• A vehicle entering a roundabout must not…
• A vehicle must always come to a complete stop…
• When entering or driving inside a roundabout…