Cyclists caught looking at phones in Japan could face up to six months in jail, as new stricter cycling laws take effect

Cyclists caught using or even looking at their phones in Japan could now face up to six months in prison, under strict new road traffic laws introduced to clamp down on what authorities believe is the increasing danger posed by people on bikes.

The revised Road Traffic Act, which takes effect today, means that any cyclist who uses their phone in any capacity, for calls, texts, or just general scrolling, will be subject to a maximum jail sentence of six months, or a fine of 100,000 yen (£508).

In cases where a cyclist’s phone use results in a collision, a maximum penalty of a year’s imprisonment, or a fine of 300,000 yen (roughly £1,500) can be imposed.

“Making a call with a smartphone in your hand while cycling, or watching the screen, is now banned and subject to punishment,” a National Police Agency leaflet said today, introducing the new law.

Previously, mobile phone use while cycling in Japan was governed by local public safety commissions, with 50,000 yen (£250) set as the maximum penalty.

> Japan to make cycle helmets compulsory for all cyclists

Alongside this crackdown on mobile phone use, the traffic act has also increased the penalties available for those caught cycling under the influence of alcohol.

According to the revised law, anyone riding a bike who produces a reading of more than 0.15mg of alcohol per litre of breath is subject to a possible three-year jail term and a fine of 500,000 yen (£2,500). Meanwhile, anyone who offers alcohol to cyclists, knowing they will soon ride their bike, faces up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 300,000 yen.

The more serious offence of cycling while drunk was already included in Japanese law, and includes a maximum prison term of five years.

In the hours after the new law took effect on Friday, police authorities in Osaka said they had already recorded seven violations, including two men who were caught cycling while drunk. One of the men had collided with another cyclist and was issued a ticket, but no injuries were reported, Kyodo News reports.

> Dutch police hand out 850 fines per week to cyclists using mobile phones

The toughened penalties come amid concerns in Japan that, since the boom in cycling’s popularity in the country in the wake of the Covid pandemic, while the number of collisions on the road are decreasing in general, collisions involving cyclists are on the rise.

Over 72,000 road traffic incidents involving people on bikes were recorded in Japan last year, accounting for around 20 per cent of all collisions in the country.

Meanwhile, in the first half of 2024 there was one fatality and 17 serious injuries stemming from incidents involving cyclists using their phones.

Between 2018 and 2022, the number of collisions caused by cyclists on their phones jumped by more than 50 per cent to 454, compared to 295 during the previous five-year period.

A National Police Agency official said the rise in phone-related collisions – which, the Japanese government says, have resulted in the deaths of pedestrians – could be attributed not only to the ubiquitous presence of smartphones, but also the increasing variety of video and gaming content available on them.

The latest attempt to introduce stricter laws on cycling in Japan, where riding bikes on the pavement remains both legal and common, comes over a year after compulsory helmet laws for cyclists were introduced in the country, which joined Argentina, Australia, Cyprus, and New Zealand as the only nations that have national mandatory cycle helmet laws applying to all cyclists.

> No plans to introduce specific offence of using mobile phone while cycling, says minister

When it comes to phone-related penalties in the UK, where motorists are banned from using a handheld mobile phone as a communication device, punishable by a £200 fine and six penalty points, there is no specific offence related to using a mobile phone while cycling.

In April last year, transport minister Baroness Vere told the House of Lords that the government currently has no plans to introduce specific legislation banning cyclists and e-scooter riders from using mobile phones while riding, telling her fellow politicians that “it is really important that we do not demonise all cyclists”.

However, while the government shoes no signs of introducing a specific law to crack down on phone cyclists, using a phone while riding could still result in police fining a cyclist for careless cycling, which carries a maximum penalty of £1,000.

For instance, last November a cyclist in Aberdeen who complained to the police after he was mistakenly pulled over by an officer for “using a mobile phone” while riding on the road – when, in fact, the cyclist was attempting to save footage of a close pass from a lorry driver on his bike camera – was later told that, though there is no specific offence for using the electronic device while riding a bike, his actions could still be deemed “careless and inconsiderate”.

> “Can’t the police use Google?” Cyclist mistakenly pulled over by police and threatened with ticket for “using phone” – and then gets lectured by officer for not wearing helmet or hi-vis

During the incident, after stopping the cyclist the officer erroneously argued that it was illegal to use a phone or electronic device while cycling, told the rider to “look it up”, said that he would have received a ticket – or been arrested or charged – had she not been on her own, and advised him that not wearing a helmet or hi-vis clothing could lead to him getting “killed or smushed”.

And in April this year in Australia, where cyclists can be fined for brandishing mobile phones, a 22-year-old man was handed a $1,161 penalty (just over £600) for using a handheld phone while cycling on Grafton Street in Cairns, a city in the north of Queensland.

According to the Queensland government’s ‘Bicycle roads rules and safety’, holding a mobile phone, either “in your hand or resting it on any part of your body”, when cycling is illegal. This applies even if the cyclist is stopped in traffic or if the phone is switched off.

> Cyclist in Australia slapped with $1,161 fine for using phone while riding, as police “remind cyclists that they are subject to the same rules as motorists”

When “safely stopped”, cyclists can use a phone to pay for goods or services, present a digital licence or document to police, or gain access to an area such as a car park.

“You are allowed hands-free use of a mobile phone, for example, in a cradle attached to the bike. Hands-free can include to accept a call, use navigation apps, or skip a song,” the rules say.

“You can use a phone hands-free if it’s in a pocket of your clothing or a pouch you’re wearing. You must not touch or look at the phone. It can only be operated using your voice.”

Following the fine, a spokesperson for Queensland Police said: “Police would like to remind cyclists that they are subject to the same rules as motorists when using roads and must adhere to all road signals.”