Tokyo, Oct. 26 (Jiji Press)–Three and a half years after a revised road traffic law called on all cyclists in Japan to make efforts to wear helmets, their use has risen, but only slowly, with just one in four cyclists now wearing one. To get more cyclists, especially young people, to wear helmets, Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department has developed a new model with input from university students. The helmet went on sale in August. High Risks, Low Usage Before the amendment took effect in April 2023, only parents and guardians were urged to have children under 13 wear helmets. The revised law has extended this duty to make efforts to all cyclists, but there is no penalty for not wearing a helmet. According to the MPD, about 60 pct of people killed in bicycle accidents in Tokyo over the five years through 2025 died from head injuries. The fatality rate for cyclists not wearing helmets was 2.3 times that of those who wore them, the MPD said. Even so, the nationwide helmet-wearing rate stood at just 24.4 pct, up 3.2 percentage points from a year earlier, according to a National Police Agency survey released in September. Only three prefectures–Ehime, Oita and Fukui–topped 60 pct, while the remaining 44 all stood below 50 pct. Tokyo came in at 15.5 pct, while Osaka ranked last at 9.5 pct. With Style In July 2024, the MPD began developing the new helmets in collaboration with Ryohin Keikaku Co., the operator of the Muji retail chain. It also enlisted students from Aoyama Gakuin University and Yamano Beauty College in Tokyo. “We launched the project to encourage helmet use from the perspective of young people, who often avoid wearing helmets because of concerns about fashion and their hair,” said Yohei Gonda, who oversaw the project as a senior official in the administration section of the MPD’s Traffic Bureau. The students first discussed why helmets had not caught on, examining complaints such as “It messes up your hair” and “It’s too bulky to carry around.” They then split into groups to look for solutions. Their proposals included improving the design and offering helmets in gift catalogs so that more people would have a chance to try one. About two years after the project began, helmets incorporating the students’ ideas were completed. Ryohin Keikaku sells them in Japanese as the “Bicycle Helmet That Lets Air Flow Through.” The helmets have a matte finish that goes well with a wide range of outfits, and their inner structure is designed to keep bangs from getting messed up. They can also be worn with hair tied up at the back of the head. A promotional poster for the helmets declares, “There’s no reason left not to wear one!” Public Debut Students involved in the project appeared at a traffic safety event in Tokyo’s Koto Ward in September to show off the new helmets’ features. “We focused on convenience, so the chin strap can be fastened with one hand,” said Riko Nagano, 21, a third-year student at Aoyama Gakuin University, referring to the helmets’ magnetic buckle. “I’d be happy if more people started wearing helmets.” Students from Yamano Beauty College came up with hairstyles, some designed to look stylish even under a helmet and others to hold their shape after it is removed. They also made hairstyling videos to encourage people to wear helmets. Gonda emphasized the success of the project involving the students and praised their contributions. “Many innovative and positive ideas were put forward,” he said. Still, he added, “We are only halfway toward getting many people to wear helmets. We will continue to take every opportunity to encourage their use.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
