[Q.] When is it a violation to overtake the car in front?
[A.] “Overtaking on the left side” is not allowed! Fine is 6,000 to 7,000 yen, penalty points are 2 points
“Overtaking” refers to the act of turning on your blinker, changing lanes, and then passing the vehicle in front of you. Article 28 of the Road Traffic Act also stipulates the following regarding overtaking methods:
“When a vehicle is attempting to overtake another vehicle, it must drive on the right side of the vehicle being overtaken.”
In other words, when passing a slower vehicle in front of you, you must pass on the right side of that vehicle. Therefore, if you pass a vehicle in front of you on the left side, you may be arrested for “overtaking violation.”
For example, on a two-lane road, if a motorcyclist is passing a car in front of them in the right lane, and then changes lanes to the left and passes the slower car in front of them on the left, it may be considered an “overtaking violation.”
Conversely, if the motorcycle is in the left lane and the car in front is in the right lane, and the motorcycle keeps to the left lane and catches up with and passes the slower car in the right lane, this is considered “overtaking” and is not a violation as long as the motorcycle is observing the speed limit.
If you are caught for an overtaking violation, you will be subject to the following penalties:
[Penalties for overtaking violations (for motorcycles)]
Fine: 7,000 yen for motorcycles, 6,000 yen for mopeds
. Penalty points: 2 points.
If a motorcycle traveling in the right lane changes lanes to the left lane and then passes a slower vehicle in front of it in the right lane from the left, it may be considered an “overtaking violation.”
[Q.] When is it a violation to let a motorcycle pass through other vehicles?
[A.] Driving on the shoulder of the road is a violation of traffic regulations. The fine is 6,000 yen for a moped and 7,000 yen for a two-wheeled vehicle.
Motorbike “weaving” is also a common problem, for example, when a motorbike passes a line of stationary (or slow-moving) cars on the left side of the same lane on a congested road.
The general interpretation seems to be that in such cases, if the driver does not change lanes, it constitutes overtaking from the left and is not a violation in itself.
However, it is still dangerous, and if an accident occurs, it may be considered a violation of the safe driving obligation. In that case, the penalty points and fines are as follows.
[Penalties for violating the safe driving obligation (for motorcycles)]
Fine: 7,000 yen for motorcycles, 6,000 yen for mopeds
. Penalty points: 2 points.
Additionally, when passing on the left side of a car, it is also a violation to use the “side strip” outside the white line on the far left of a road without a sidewalk. Pedestrians have the right of way on these side strips, and according to Article 17, Paragraph 1 of the Road Traffic Act, motorcycles, including mopeds, and cars are prohibited from passing through them. If you are caught, it will be considered a “traffic classification violation” and you will be subject to the following penalty points and fines.
[Penalties for traffic division violations (for motorcycles)]
Fine: 7,000 yen for motorcycles, 6,000 yen for mopeds
. Penalty points: 2 points.
Even on expressways, the leftmost “side strip” is prohibited
↓Click here for more details
There are various other rules regarding “overtaking” and “passing” on motorcycles, and there are also some cases where they are considered violations. For more details, please check out the article linked below.
“Overtaking” vs. “Passing”: Which is illegal when a motorcycle passes on the left? | Motor-Fan, a media platform that mainly distributes automotive-related articles“Overtaking” is the act of passing a vehicle after changing lanes. First, let’s talk about overtaking. This refers to the act of turning on your blinker, changing lanes, and then passing the vehicle in front of you. Regarding overtaking, Article 28 of the Road Traffic Act stipulates the following: “Vehicles […]
