| Have you ever noticed the lack of traffic lights and clear speed limits in the streets of Karakura? In mainland Japan, traffic lights are usually installed at intersections in order to regulate traffic flow, regardless of how populated the area is. After a very in-depth search across Karakura, I noted a grand total of zero traffic lights in the entire city, which is highly uncommon. Obviously, this could be attributed to the lack of consistent traffic in the city, but it’s still unusual. Alongside this distinct lack of traffic lights, there also aren’t any safe school and pedestrian crossings around the city! Usually, you’d find buttons on busy roads, connected to traffic lights, that will stop traffic so that pedestrians can safely cross the roads. From personal experience alone, drivers in Karakura have no awareness of their surroundings – resulting in people narrowly being missed by oncoming traffic. It’s honestly a miracle that nobody has actually been hit yet.. There’s another point to consider, which is the speed limit in Japan. Given that Karakura is a high-pedestrian, urban area, the speed limit would be roughly 40 km/h (approx. 25 mph). The only place with speed limits posted is in the new Shōtengai – shown below. Though, that does beg the question.. What is the speed limit in the rest of the city? Obviously it’s going to be a lot slower in an area with a high density of people, apartments and stores – so what about the roads along the side of the Saiky Estate, or the Zen Garden? |
| Some important things to note is that there are some laws that are specifically tailored toward road safety and vehicle laws. First of all, the fine for irresponsible driving – which is defined as “the act of driving unlawfully by driving on the wrong side of the road (the right lane), or doing a turn in the middle of a roadway”. This clearly shows that there’s some form of rhyme or reason to how the roads function in the city, as you’ll get in trouble for the aforementioned manoeuvres. The second law pertaining to road safety is the misdemeanour people will receive for drunk driving, which is officially defined as “the act of driving an automobile while under the influence of alcohol”. Obviously, driving while drunk is a surefire way to cause traffic accidents, so it’s good that people will get in a lot of trouble for that. Third, we have a felony of street racing. Street racing is a danger to those innocently driving on the roads, those crossing the roads, and even the drivers themselves! With irresponsible driving being a given when it comes to street racing, it’s a surefire way of risking car accidents, hence why it’s illegal to participate in the sport… Other vehicular laws include the following two, which are both felonies: evasion with a vehicle, and kidnapping with a vehicle. Neither of these are geared toward road safety. |
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With the increase of people owning cars, and summer coming up, here are some helpful tips for staying safe on the roads:
WHEN DRIVING
- Take corners slowly!
- Keep to the left side of the road, we’re in Japan – not America.
- Slow down at pedestrian crossings!
WHEN WALKING
- Look both ways before crossing the road!
- Don’t walk directly in the middle of the road, keep to the sidewalks.
- Don’t argue with irresponsible drivers.
There are more rules to the road, both spoken and unspoken. Make sure you know the laws of Karakura, and how to stay safe at all times! If you have any road-related stories you’d like to share with the world, or just have something you’d like to be reported on – Call us! 020-980-4487
