Why “illegal mopeds” are rampant: Riding two people, jaywalking, wearing headphones, no license plate ……

Dangerous Driving Increases after Sunset

Mopeds, which appear to follow the rules during the daytime, often “change their behavior” after sunset. During the research for this article, we encountered a yakara-type man who ignored a red light while wearing headphones, a young man on a skateboard who ran alongside his friend’s moped, and a high-speed moped that overtook our magazine’s car running at 50 km/h. In addition to violations of traffic laws, dangerous behavior toward pedestrians and other vehicles also stands out. A cab driver in Tokyo lamented.

“I was waiting at a traffic light when I heard a terrible ‘boom! and a pizza was splattered on the body of the car. Immediately after that, the moppet accelerated and ran away. The takeout pizza I was holding in one hand must have been blown away by the impact of the collision. It was a fine hit-and-run, but since the body was undamaged, I just washed the car and did not report it.

It was nighttime and he was wearing dark clothing, so it was impossible to identify the culprit on the drive recorder. Worst of all, the moped did not have a license plate. It was impossible to determine the driver from the license plate number and they would get away with it. When you are dealing with a moped, you cry yourself to sleep even if you get hit. That’s frustrating.”

A shopkeeper in a shopping district in Minato Ward, Tokyo, expressed his outrage.

There are two types of moped drivers. One is those who have a bad reputation. When you warn them about ‘running on the sidewalk’ or ‘running the wrong way,’ they get upset and get angry, so they are very bad. The other type is foreigners who use mopeds for delivery. Their mopeds have large wheels and accelerate very fast once pedaled, so they are obviously modified vehicles. I have been seeing them since the Corona craze. They run at breakneck speed through shopping streets and don’t even pause to stop, which is scary. Even if you warn them, they run away, saying ‘nihongo gawakaranai’ (I don’t know anything about Japanese language), which makes them very dangerous.

Mopeds must have a sticker on their license plate, issued when they purchase liability insurance. Driving a moped without such insurance is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 500,000 yen, and the driver’s license will be suspended immediately. However, many mopeds do not have license plates attached. Crackdowns are difficult, and as a result, illegal mopeds have become a contributing factor to the rampant illegal mopeds.

Stricter rules and a thorough crackdown on illegal mopeds are urgently needed.