The proportion of bicycle-related accidents among all traffic accidents in Japan hit a record high of 23.3 percent in 2022, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Thursday.
The figure rose by 3.4 percentage points from 2018, while the share of car accidents fell by 2.2 points and that of motorcycle-related accidents grew by 0.4 point, NPA data showed.
During a campaign for traffic safety to be launched next month, the NPA plans to urge cyclists to wear helmets and follow traffic rules as the number of primary, junior high, and high school students who get involved in a fatal or injury accident while riding a bicycle tends to grow from April to June.
According to the NPA data for 2018-2022, the number of fatal and injury bicycle accidents involving primary, junior high and high school students began to increase in April. The number of such accidents was the highest in June.
