As the top of the 12 months approaches, it’s a standard time of 12 months to satisfy household, buddies, and coworkers in conditions that always contain a number of alcohol. Of course, consuming and driving don’t combine, so many individuals could decide to journey a bicycle dwelling as an alternative, however that isn’t advisable both, as police all throughout Japan are taking a really exhausting line towards consuming and biking, and the penalties will be fairly extreme.
As we reported earlier than, the Road Traffic Act of Japan was revised in November 2024, and new fines might be issued for a wide range of cycling-related offenses, corresponding to driving a motorcycle on the sidewalk or sporting earphones. But one large change has to do with driving whereas intoxicated.
Riding a bicycle whereas below the affect was at all times a criminal offense, but it surely was hardly ever enforced until related to a different incident. However, this newest revision made an important change of stating a selected blood-alcohol degree of 0.15 milligrams per liter because the authorized restrict to function a bicycle. This empowers the police to make a clear-cut name for drunk biking by giving a breathalyzer take a look at.
Thanks to this particular customary, police in Japan can now extra simply implement Article 103 of the Road Traffic Act. This is a fairly distinctive clause that states if an individual performs harmful actions, then that particular person could also be deemed, by advantage, a harmful driver, and thus ought to have their driver’s license suspended instantly to make sure public security. This isn’t even restricted to habits on bicycles, however since bikes are legally categorized as a “light vehicle,” reckless habits on one is all of the extra damning.
An fascinating element about these violations is that their penalties are forked in two methods. While these caught consuming and biking can face felony expenses, that requires due course of, corresponding to a trial if needed. Getting a license suspended, nevertheless, is taken into account an administrative course of and might take impact immediately. Therefore, in case you get caught biking whereas below the affect and maintain a Japanese driver’s license, you may basically get punished for it twice over, each legally and administratively.
These aren’t simply theoretical prospects both. In the primary 9 months of 2024, earlier than the revisions to the Road Traffic Act had been made, solely 23 folks had their licenses suspended by way of Article 103 for drunk biking. In the primary 9 months of 2025, that determine exploded to 896 folks.
And earlier than anybody thinks they’re protected simply because they don’t drink, one other frequent habits that police need to crack down on is the usage of smartphones whereas driving a bicycle. Article 103 also can apply to dangerously distracted cyclists, and in the event that they occur to even be licensed drivers, their permits might be in jeopardy as effectively.
Image: Pakutaso
And if all that isn’t strict sufficient, penalties can also await those that knowingly enable others to function a bicycle whereas intoxicated. Much like with the motive force of a automobile, in case you go consuming with somebody who you understand will get on a bicycle afterward, or in case you serve alcohol to somebody with a motorcycle, it’s possible you’ll face sure penalties in your involvement as effectively.
So, this vacation season and to any extent further, it’s possible you’ll need to assume twice earlier than getting on that bike in case you’ve had a number of too many — by which I imply, one would in all probability be “too many” to blow a 0.15. The penalties are very actual, and the police seem like significantly passionate about imposing protected biking habits as of late.
Source: TBS News Dig, Kuruma No News, Yomiuri Shimbun Online
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