Eight in 10 parents anxious about children riding bicycles in the roadway: Survey of attitudes after introduction of penalty tickets

Meiko Network Japan, which operates the Meiko Gijuku cram-school chain, conducted a survey on children's bicycle use following the introduction of penalty tickets. The respondents were parents of children from first grade of elementary school through third grade of high school, and responses were collected through an online survey. The results showed that 83.8% of parents feel anxious about their children riding in the roadway. By school level, the figures were 83.9% for elementary school students, 85.5% for junior high school students and 81.1% for high school students, indicating a high level of anxiety regardless of age. The survey covered respondents nationwide, with 752 of the 1,000 parents having children who ride bicycles.

Regarding actual experiences since the introduction of the penalty-ticket system, 48.4% of parents said their children had experienced a close call while riding in the roadway. Asked whether the introduction of the system had affected their level of anxiety, 51.6% said it had not changed, while 29.2% said their anxiety had increased, exceeding the 18.0% who said it had decreased. This suggests that a certain number of households have become more anxious following the introduction of the system.

Regarding helmet use, 34.0% said their children wear helmets every time, 23.8% said they do so almost every time, and 11.6% said they do so sometimes. Meanwhile, 8.6% said their children hardly ever wear helmets and 21.9% said they never do, for a combined 30.5% who either downplay helmet use or do not use helmets. The results indicate that helmet use has yet to become fully established. The survey also found that the leading measures parents want from government and schools were communicating bicycle rules, at 28.5%, improving the bicycle-riding environment, at 23.7%, and enhancing traffic-safety education, at 11.6%.