Case involving teenage cyclist accused of reckless riding sent to prosecutors

It's about time the cops got off their butts and did something about the appalling cycling behaviour here.

Cyclists in Japan act very poorly; I have been 'clipped' by handlebars numerous time by cyclists coming up from behind with no warning and shooting past too close.

Furthermore far too few wear helmets, ride on the footpaths, ride two or three abreast in busy traffic - I've even seen riders peering into their mobile phones while steering with one hand completely ignoring the road and the people around them.

I'm constantly amazed that there are fewer serious accidents.

I wish they would go after the groups of motorbikes that do this.

The “boy’s” (specific age not reported) actions were intentional and created a danger for himself, the woman, others and property IF she had to swerve to avoid him. It’s a crime and deserves appropriate persecution & punishment. Motive, means and opportunity:

“*Police said the h.s. student told them he wanted to annoy a driver, someone who looked like they might not complain, by *blocking their vehicle.” -

Hopefully a substantial fine, 3 months in juvenile detention and confiscate the bike; permanent stain on his record.

However, it probably won't happen because of the same excuse the cops give regarding why they don't nail the bosozoku: they are only young guys and we don't want them to start their lives with a criminal record.

Does JAPAN have such a thing? - Thought that “permanent record” @Harry_Gatto 9:21am our parents & teachers alluded to us about was a Western “myth” or “boogie man” story they told us to keep us in line?

*- @Harry_Gatto 9:21am:**“a substantial fine, 3 months in juvenile detention and confiscate the bike; permanent stain on his record.” -*

While I’m glad this kid is going to be punished, and hopefully SEVERELY, I can think of a million more serious cases where they refused to try even 19-year olds as adults, including murder. Why the “special treatment” here?

I wish they would go after the groups of motorbikes that do this.

My favorite are those that go slow and make it difficult to pass them - and when you do pass them and have to stop for a red light, they take the side of the road up to the front of the line so you can go through it all again.

AlternativeOpinionToday  10:18 am JST

Jeezus, maybe a public flogging and some time in the stocks as well? I ride my segway on the footpath and without a helmet, I must be a full blown criminal in your eyes I guess LOL!

Do you do this? Would you like it if someone did it to you? Did you actually read all of the article?

The boy swerved his bike back and forth in front of the car for about five minutes at around 11 a.m. on June 28 along a two-lane prefectural road in Kurashiki. This went on for about 1.4 kilometers.

It's very encouraging to see that relatively minor issues such as this make the news in Japan. Such a great country to live in.

For a country of people that (stereotypically) love following rules, it really is strange how cyclists ignore all of them.

Wear masks - ok.

Dont talk on trains- sure.

Ride your bike on the without looking at your cell phone... etc etc - Hell NO!

The correct way to ride a bike in Japan is to do it while simultaneously holding an umbrella, smoking, sending a text message and walking the dog.

Not a ‘cyclist’ really, he was just a high school kid on a bike. In the video you could see him weaving right and left, almost over the center line at times, then suddenly braking, as if inviting an accident, just to annoy the lady.

Road rage and Aori-Unten are like a bad rash nowadays, and the cops have vowed publicly to come down hard on it. They’ve even got traffic helicopters measuring the gap between cars down below. This kid was caught on camera, a really bad time to be doing it, so he’ll get a serious talking-to.

Was anybody hurt?

It seems that just a 70 years old Obachan, who anyway is probably not the best driver anymore at that age, was annoyed.

So why making a big deal out of that?

Just give the boy a warning or a small money punishment and that's it.

I remember watching the report on the news a few months back.

As a person who, at one point in their life, did not own a car and traveled exclusively by bicycle in Midwestern American cities for years at a time when I was pretty much the only one out there BCF (before current fashion) and have ridden into the face of blizzards of horizontally blown snow, I can easily understand this youngster's hatred of cars and their drivers. But, driving in front of cars and blocking their passage in America is asking to be run down and left broken in the street.

But, here, we have bullying by this same youngster of an older, admittedly nonthreatening person and whatever feeling of being 'prey' I might have had on my bike, this behavior does not seem like a good prognostication of this lad's future behavior to arbitrarily select her for abuse rather than save it for those clearly needing an upgrade in their awareness of bicycles on the street as I have had to administer at times. And, even as I understand the motivation, I must say, "Bad lad!" and hope that he understands that deliberately twitting car drivers may not cost him, but could cost another rider dearly in the future.

Half surprised I haven't seen any of the usual crowd clamoring for the death penalty yet.

Suspending his bicycle license and requiring some classes on the subject seems like a reasonable punishment. No real harm done besides annoyance in this case, as long as he can be prevented from doing it again. If he annoyed the wrong person he could be hurt, so it's for his good as much as anyone else.