Speeding fines only start at 10 km/h over the limit, meaning that exceeding the limit by less than 10 km/h, while technically illegal, is usually ignored. At the other end, getting caught speeding over 30 km/h above the limit can result in formal charges and immediate license suspension.
Community service, fines, jail time, or a lifetime ban on driving are all possible punishments under a red ticket. These are strict rules—even speeding over 30 kph is considered a red-ticket offense.
Police enforcement
Although there is no official tolerance for exceeding the speed limit, most drivers in Japan tend to drive over the speed limit on major roads.
It is prohibited to drive a car at the speed exceeding the legal limit even if there is no traffic sign for speed regulation.
Different speeding offences carry different penalties depending on how severe the offence is. Penalties range from fines and demerit points to licence disqualification and imprisonment.
Drinking and driving in Japan carries severe penalties. At an alcohol level of 0.15 mg per 1L of breath, a driver is considered to be Driving Under the Influence (DUI), which is punishable by imprisonment with work for up to 3 years and a fine of up to JPY 500,000.
Poland has the world's highest speed limit which is 140kph on motorways, though the Austrians dabbled with having a 160kph variable limit on motorways in 2006.
You can always find a speed camera after you see the two written notice sign/(blue) boards. So people start make driving slowly around the "area". Yes, people usually drive 100-130km speeds; speed cameras are working perfectly as my friend said before that he could see his photo so nicely/clearly at the police.
Traffic lights
If the light facing you is red, stop and wait for it to turn green. If the light facing you is red, you must stop and wait for a green light. However, if you have a green arrow, you can turn only in the direction indicated by the arrow.
In 2022, authorities in Japan reported a new record low of approximately 2.17 thousand accidents involving drunk driving. Fatal accidents are considerably more likely to occur when the motor vehicle driver is under the influence of alcohol.
For many years Japan had severe restrictions on the maximum power and speed that motorcycles could have. All motorcycles for the Japanese domestic market were restricted to 112 mph (180 km/h).
There is ZERO TOLERANCE for drunk driving in Japan. If you get caught driving after having had any alcohol (even just half a glass of beer, say), you can be fired, lose your license, thrown in jail, and forced to pay huge fines.
If you do get pulled over, be nice
Police in Japan have full discretion over whether or not you will be issued a ticket, so make sure to be nice and apologetic. Genuinely (or at least convincingly) showing guilt can sometimes help with this, so try to muster up as regretful of a face as you can.
Speed limits (and stop sign placement, stop light timing, etc.) are controlled by the police in Japan, unlike in Western countries where they are generally controlled by city planners. The primary metric used to judge traffic enforcement efficacy is the number of traffic fatalities.
If there's no speed limit sign you can go up to 60 km/h on ordinary roads. If there's no speed limit sign you can go up to 100 km/h on an 'expressway' (you might call it 'motorway' or 'highway').
A multimillionaire businessman has been hit with one of the world's highest speeding fines – €121,000 (£104,000) – for driving 30km/h (18.6mph) over the limit in Finland, where tickets are calculated as a percentage of the offender's income.
As of 2018 the highest posted speed limit in the world is 160 km/h (99 mph), applied on two motorways in the UAE. Speed limits and safety distance are poorly enforced in the UAE, specifically on the Abu Dhabi to Dubai motorway – which results in dangerous traffic, according to a French government travel advisory.
Roads in Japan are in excellent conditions and easy to navigate. Most road signs are in both Japanese and English— though many warning signs like “Danger” are in Japanese. People in Japan are very well-mannered as you probably know, and that applies to drivers too.
When setting maximum speed limits, most states and territories in Australia follow the model national road rules. Under these rules: Posted speed limits are capped at 110km/h. Where there is a no speed limit posted, default speed limits are 50km/h in built-up areas, and 100km/h in rural areas.
Many sub-arterial roads are zoned 60 km/h (37 mph). Major connector roads and smaller highways are zoned 60 km/h (37 mph), 70 km/h (43 mph), 80 km/h (50 mph) or 90 km/h (56 mph). Some highways and freeways are zoned 110 km/h (68 mph).
However, it's Nunavut with no speed limits above 70 km/h that is the lowest in Canada and potentially the world. In Europe, The UK is among the slowest states with maximum limits of just 70 mph (110 km/h).
In Japan, the legal adult age is 20. Japanese law prohibits individuals under the age of 20 to drink alcohol or smoke. Regardless of age, you must not force anyone to drink or smoke as it may cause serious health and social consequences.
Roads and rules
The legal minimum age for driving is 18 years. Drinking and driving is prohibited. Road signs and rules follow international standards, and most signs on major roads are in Japanese and English. Vehicles have to come to a full stop before crossing any railway tracks.
Is it legal to use left hand drive vehicles in Japan? The simple answer is, yes it is. The country allows both left and right hand drive cars. While you will obviously see drivers on the right hand wheel most commonly, it's not surprising to see left hand drive LHD in Japan.