Japan plans harsher road rage penalties after high-profile incidents

MSR Japan

*how are drivers supposed to defend themselves on a one lane road with a road hogger behind them?*

Its all mountains and no side areas round where I live. Only one lane roads and a speed limit of 50 with many turns and curves. I'd pay to see you "Move to the left FFS. Let the traffic flow" on these roads here. If anyone did so, they would end up rolling down the side of the mountains or in a ditch to let a road rager have their way.

sir_bentley28Today 01:42 pm JST

road rage will be defined as dangerous driving with the intent of obstructing others, such as tailgating, sudden braking 

Tailgating is like a sport here! I've seen truck drivers right at the back of smaller cars. I've had those large family vans beaming their lights in my car and so close to me I thought they were in my backseat! Break-checking is the only thing that tells these tailgaters to back off without a direct altercation. If the police makes this illegal, how are drivers supposed to defend themselves on a one lane road with a road hogger behind them? And if you're thinking "Give the police you dash cam recordings and let the police do their work!" you might as well give a toddler a box of crayons and tell them "Clean the room!" Because I had an incident, went to the police station, spoke with them, showed them the footage, they took copies and photos of the footage then said "We'll find someone to look into this case!" 7 months ago.

Obviously this guy doesnt move to the left but sits in the far RIGHT lane inducing road rage in others by brake checking them, exactly why the cops want to increase the penalty for this type of behaviour, but these ignorant drivers like this dont get it.

Move to the left FFS. Let the traffic flow, brake checking is dangerous too !!

road rage will be defined as dangerous driving with the intent of obstructing others, such as tailgating, sudden braking 

Tailgating is like a sport here! I've seen truck drivers right at the back of smaller cars. I've had those large family vans beaming their lights in my car and so close to me I thought they were in my backseat! Break-checking is the only thing that tells these tailgaters to back off without a direct altercation. If the police makes this illegal, how are drivers supposed to defend themselves on a one lane road with a road hogger behind them? And if you're thinking "Give the police you dash cam recordings and let the police do their work!" you might as well give a toddler a box of crayons and tell them "Clean the room!" Because I had an incident, went to the police station, spoke with them, showed them the footage, they took copies and photos of the footage then said "We'll find someone to look into this case!" 7 months ago.

Harsher penalties is Japan’s answer to everything. “More is not better! Better is better!” They do the same thing in schools when grades start to slip. They just introduce more classes. The manners of drivers are getting much worse, so they increase the penalties. Harsher penalties are not going to stop the incidents of road rage without education and enforcement.

Some of those "sidewalk cyclist ragers" loose it if you ring your bell at them, as they block the center of the sidewalk, and then they want to tell you to use the street bike lane, even though hundreds of them use the marked sidewalk bike lane. The problem with these "---" is they have a strong need to control; something , meanwhile a huge lack of control exist nation wide.

If people drove properly in the first place most road rage would be avoided, dont drive in the far right lane at below or just on the spped limit for a start and if a faster traveling vehcile comes behind you move left and let them past. The law even says to keep left, and you can be prosecuted for sitting in the far right lane without passing anything, holding up the flow of traffic is also an offense.

I am not advocating for speeding, just simple common sense, learn the road rules, exercise courstesy, dont interfere in the natural flow of traffic etc. Understand how to read the traffic and how it flows.

The cops also need to crack down on the laws as some one else has commented, hit the truckies hard, red light runners, idiots who do not move left, inconsiderate others who do not indicate or use their rear view mirror etc. Educate the people who drive.

They also need harsher sidewalk cyclist rage penalties. Saw 2 get at each other over the bike lane on the sidewalk. It sounded from their screaming voices like serious bodily harm was in the air, mind you this aint the first time I saw this in Tokyo. And as stress rises and other tensions the frequency will increase.

Good for this. Using a car to intimidate and release aggression is basically assault with a deadly weapon.

That said, I sometimes notice myself becoming hostile behind the wheel of a car, and I think most here are familiar with that feeling. I'll get angry at someone for doing something, and then realize that I sometimes do the same thing myself. So, behind the wheel of a car is a good place to start being aware of one's own emotions.

I tend to agree with Yubaru San. If people had had cell phone cameras and cameras in their cars over the decades there would no doubt be just as many... And, maybe the increase in the amount of cars on the roads is a big factor too.

The police tell you to report tailgating, but you can't use a phone at the time, unless there is a passenger in the car with you; and most drive recorders don't have rearward facing cameras to capture the evidence. End result, nothing happens, no-one is prosecuted.

people using cars as a weapon to threat others should be dealt as people using kitchen knives to threat others

Japan too? Dang. Road Rage has been a increasing problem in the US too. Just sad angry people who feel that their car is an extension of their body.

This shows how far civility has fallen in Japan, unfortunately.

Old people have been saying this about every society, ever.

Or at least, since before I was born.

This shows how far civility has fallen in Japan, unfortunately.

Hardly, you are just becoming more aware of what has been happening for decades here.

Enforcing CURRENT laws may have prevented this! As typical here, the police think making the penalties harsher will reduce the number of incidents, yet when they raised the penalties for drunk driving, it made little difference.

People are going to get nuts behind the wheel of their car no matter the penalty, if the NPA would do their jobs people would change!

This shows how far civility has fallen in Japan, unfortunately.