National Spring Traffic Safety Campaign

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Spring is the season when children start kindergarten or elementary school with renewed enthusiasm.

As the weather warms up and opportunities for going out increase, there are concerns about a rise in traffic accidents.

Let’s all raise our awareness of traffic safety and strive for safe driving with a calm mind and ample time.

1. Period

10 days from April 6th (Monday) to April 15th (Wednesday), 2026

• (April 10th (Friday) is “Day to Aim for Zero Traffic Fatalities”)

2. Focus of the Campaign

(1) Ensuring the Safety of Pedestrians, Including Children, on School Routes and Residential Roads

• Let’s protect the irreplaceable lives of children, who will bear the responsibility for the next generation, as a whole society.
• Children can sometimes act unexpectedly.
• When you see a child, slow down and drive safely.
• On school routes and residential roads, in addition to following traffic rules, let’s prevent traffic accidents by being aware that “people have priority on residential roads.”
• If there is a crosswalk nearby, always use the crosswalk, and always stop and check left and right before crossing.
• Also, check left and right carefully while crossing.
• “Walking while using a smartphone” is extremely dangerous as it makes you unaware of your surroundings. When necessary, stop in a safe place and check.

(2) Eradicating Distracted Driving and Improving Safe Driving Awareness, Including Prioritizing Pedestrians

• Using a smartphone while driving (so-called “distracted driving”) is a dangerous act that can lead to inattention and distraction, so please absolutely refrain from doing so.
• ○ Drunk driving is absolutely prohibited
  • Drunk driving carries severe penalties.
  • If you are caught drunk driving or cause an accident, you may lose your job or family.
  • Let’s create an environment where drunk driving is discouraged throughout society.
• Prioritizing pedestrians at crosswalks is a traffic rule that must be followed.
  • When there are pedestrians attempting to cross a crosswalk, always stop before the crosswalk and give way to the pedestrians.
• Wear seatbelts in all seats to protect your life.
•  Understand the differences in traffic rules between your home country and other countries, and strive for safe driving.

(3) Thorough Understanding and Adherence to Traffic Rules for Bicycles and Specific Small Motorized Bicycles

• Bicycles are vehicles that anyone can easily ride without a driver’s license, but as a “vehicle,” drivers must obey traffic rules.
• From April 1st, a traffic violation notification system (the so-called “blue ticket”) will be introduced for certain traffic violations by bicycle users aged 16 and over.
  • Recognize that using a smartphone or earphones while cycling, or riding with a passenger, are traffic violations.
  • Absolutely refrain from driving in a way that endangers yourself or others.
• Drunk cycling is punished just as severely as driving a car, so absolutely refrain from it.
• To protect your life, everyone who uses a bicycle should wear a helmet.
• Electric kick scooters that meet the standards are classified as “specific small motorized bicycles,”.
  • A driver’s license is not required, but traffic rules such as the attachment of a license plate and the obligation to subscribe to automobile liability insurance are stipulated.
• Before using an electric kick scooter, be sure to check the traffic rules and use it safely.
• Even when using only pedals to operate a pedal-powered electric motorcycle (moped), it is still considered a regular motorized bicycle or automobile, and a driver’s license is required. Please be aware of this.

Awareness leaflet available here (in Japanese language)

3. Contact (in Japanese language only)

Mie Prefecture, Environmental and Lifestyle Department, Lifestyle and Traffic Safety Division, Traffic Safety Section

Tel: 059-224-2410