Since Friday, using your cell phone while cycling is now punishable by a six-month prison sentence in Japan. The government wants to stem the increase in road accidents involving cyclists.
“Making a call with a smartphone in your hand while pedaling, or looking at the screen, is now prohibited and subject to punishment,” we can now read on the leaflets of the Japanese National Police Agency.
Cyclists who deviate from this revision of the road traffic law are liable to a maximum of six months in prison or a fine of up to 100,000 yen (approximately 570 CHF).
Alcohol also in the viewfinder
Unlike many countries, cycling on the sidewalk is allowed and even common in Japan. And according to the government, some accidents caused by cyclists looking at their screen have already killed pedestrians. And while the total number of road accidents is declining in the country, those involving cyclists are increasing.
Furthermore, according to the new law, a cyclist who drives drunk risks up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 500,000 yen. And those who offer alcoholic drinks to cyclists will face up to two years in prison and a fine of 300,000 yen.
ats/jop
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