Half-Fast Mike
Lanterne Rouge-et-vert
- May 22, 2007
- 4,644
- 3,700
Yes this bugs me too, and I occasionally stop people to remind them.My motorcycle-riding friends from Germany were amazed how common helmets other than the full face type still are in Japan. Regulations must be quite lax here.
I've also seen quite a few people wearing a motorcycle or bicycle helmet like a hat, with the chin strap undone. Right, as if that's going to do you a lot of good when you get thrown off your motorbike or bicycle! [...] The helmet still protects from the threat of police writing you a ticket!
The regulations themselves are reasonable, I think. All helmets sold for use on motorcycles must have a JIS class C mark. Without that mark it's not a motorcycle helmet - it's a hat. You must not wear a 'cap-' or 'semi-jet'-style helmet on a bike larger than 125 cc. A motorcycle helmet must have a fixed chin strap capable of keeping the helmet on the head for [blah blah impenetrable JIS testing detail].
In legal terms, if your chin strap isn't fastened, you're not wearing your helmet. And that's punishable by a fine and penalty points.
The problem, like so many here, is the lack of effective enforcement of the laws and rules. If the police stopped people for these minor infractions, instead of standing on street corners blowing their whistles in time with the traffic signals, people would get the message soon enough.
Effectively the only time these regulations come into play is after an accident, when the motorcyclist's brain is decorating the road. Too late.
I don't understand the system well enough to explain why the police cannot be bothered to educate road users more proactively.