The headline is a bit misleading because it was already 30km/h on many narrow streets.
Something about speed limits in Japan, almost no one follows them. I’ve seen police cars go past speeding cameras without their lights on while exceeding the speed limit by ~20% and everyone around them was doing the same.
This sounds like it would be a super dangerous place to drive then, but the speed limits are pretty low on local roads, and instead of driving the speed limit, people drive at a speed more similar to what you’d find for a similar road in most countries.
If you ever have the opportunity to drive in Japan, just drive at a speed you’re comfortable at and not faster than most of the traffic around you, and you’ll be fine. This isn’t legal advice though.
The one place I wouldn’t recommend exceeding the speed limit are those very narrow roads, many accidents happen there, though they’re rarely fatal.
Source: I’m working for a rental car company in Japan
Source: I’m working for a rental car company in Japan
Then you should know the posted speed limit is low for enforcement reasons. And yes, the Japanese government and society decided to have a fake speed limit and a real speed limit, rather than change the threshold at which speeding is a prosecutable crime.
The enforcement threshold is much lower in other countries, but the posted speed limit is more reasonable and matches a safe speed for driving.
The Japanese law doesn't allow criminal enforcement until 30km/h over the posted speed limit, so the posted speed limit is very slow but enforcement for 10km over is non-existent and limited for 20km over (you'll only get a ticket if you are unlucky).
There are many reasons for the gap between the posted limit and enforcement threshold in Japan, but the TL;DR is that the real-world speed that everyone drives at is generally 20km over the posted limit.
Comments
The headline is a bit misleading because it was already 30km/h on many narrow streets.
Something about speed limits in Japan, almost no one follows them. I’ve seen police cars go past speeding cameras without their lights on while exceeding the speed limit by ~20% and everyone around them was doing the same.
This sounds like it would be a super dangerous place to drive then, but the speed limits are pretty low on local roads, and instead of driving the speed limit, people drive at a speed more similar to what you’d find for a similar road in most countries.
If you ever have the opportunity to drive in Japan, just drive at a speed you’re comfortable at and not faster than most of the traffic around you, and you’ll be fine. This isn’t legal advice though.
The one place I wouldn’t recommend exceeding the speed limit are those very narrow roads, many accidents happen there, though they’re rarely fatal.
Source: I’m working for a rental car company in Japan
Then you should know the posted speed limit is low for enforcement reasons. And yes, the Japanese government and society decided to have a fake speed limit and a real speed limit, rather than change the threshold at which speeding is a prosecutable crime.
I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.
The enforcement threshold is much lower in other countries, but the posted speed limit is more reasonable and matches a safe speed for driving.
The Japanese law doesn't allow criminal enforcement until 30km/h over the posted speed limit, so the posted speed limit is very slow but enforcement for 10km over is non-existent and limited for 20km over (you'll only get a ticket if you are unlucky).
There are many reasons for the gap between the posted limit and enforcement threshold in Japan, but the TL;DR is that the real-world speed that everyone drives at is generally 20km over the posted limit.