🚸 Autumn Traffic Safety Campaign Sep 21-30

❓ What is happening?

The Traffic Measures Headquarters of the Central Traffic Safety Measures Council has adopted the guidelines for the autumn 2026 campaign, and the National Traffic Safety Campaign will run for 10 days from Monday, September 21 to Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The final day, September 30, is designated a "Day Aiming for Zero Traffic Deaths." Three nationwide priorities are set: (1) protecting pedestrians and promoting reflective items; (2) switching headlights on early at dusk and eliminating drink-driving and phone use while driving; and (3) making sure cyclists and riders of "specified small motorized bicycles" (e-scooters) understand and follow the rules. Prefectural traffic councils may add their own local priorities based on local accident patterns. In line with the campaign, MEXT issued an administrative notice on August 20, 2026 (No. 896) asking prefectural and designated-city boards of education, governors, universities and school corporations to strengthen traffic safety education and secure safe school routes. Bicycles are in focus because of successive legal changes: a 2022 Road Traffic Act amendment made helmets a duty of effort for all cyclists; an amendment in force from November 1, 2024 banned phone use while cycling and created penalties for cycling after drinking; and from April 1, 2026 the traffic infraction notification system (the "blue ticket") also applies to bicycles. MEXT asks schools to inform not only students but also teaching staff and parents who ride.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●Foreign parents whose children attend Japanese kindergartens, schools or universities
• ●Foreign residents who commute or shop by bicycle or e-scooter
• ●Foreigners who drive in Japan, including tourists using rental cars
• ●Residents and travellers who walk around from dusk into the evening
• ●International students at Japanese universities and technical colleges

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

During the campaign, street guidance and enforcement by police intensify nationwide. Because the blue-ticket fixed-penalty system has applied to bicycles since April 1, 2026, behaviour that used to draw only a verbal warning — ignoring signals, failing to stop at intersections, riding on the right side of the road, one-handed riding while holding an umbrella or a smartphone, riding without lights at night — can now result in a penalty. As a rule bicycles ride on the left side of the roadway, and pedestrians have priority where cycling on the pavement is allowed. Carrying a second rider or riding side by side is prohibited. When taking a child, you may not carry the child in your arms or in a sling; a bicycle designed for two child passengers and a child helmet are the premise. In cars, seat belts are mandatory in every seat including the rear, and drivers must slow down before crosswalks and yield to pedestrians waiting to cross. Schools usually send traffic-safety notices in Japanese, so ask the homeroom teacher or the school office if anything is unclear.