Accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians have skyrocketed in the last 10 years in Japan.
In 2009, there were 2,934 such accidents. That is 3.7 times the number recorded a decade earlier.
In one chilling case, a junior high school student was ordered to pay 30 million yen ($300,000) to an elderly woman he hit and badly injured.
Thanks to the increasing popularity of cycling, particularly in cities, accidents have increased. In contrast to the surge in number of bikes on the road, though, the infrastructure of Japanese cities has not kept pace. That means riders are often on sidewalks, whether they want to be or not.
To date, just 6.8% of Japanese roads have dedicated lanes for cyclists.
© CycleKyoto.com
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