I don't own a car but rent one occasionally for road trips. I've noticed that while Japanese drivers are generally quite cooperative and tolerant to little mistakes (for newbie drivers like me), but they seem to continuously ignore speed limits. When I drive at the posted limit, I actually feel like I'm a danger, so I've started going about 10 km/h over to match traffic flow.
Coming from a country where exceeding the limit by even 5% results in a fine, I'm surprised to see people driving 20+ km/h (or more on expressways, like maybe +30 km/h) over the limit. So I have a few questions:
- Is this tolerated by police? (outside the enforcement periods around March) When I researched before my first road trip, everything suggested that even 1 km/h over is technically fineable and that enforcement is strict.
- Are speed cameras uncommon in Japan? I've noticed one on the C1 that's clearly visible, yet everyone still drives around 80 km/h in the 60 km/h zone. Are people just willing to pay the fines, or is there more tolerance than the posted limits suggest? Also, do the cameras flash when they catch you (so I can know if I the past week end road trip I will receive a nice paper in my mailbox)?
- What are all the devices on the highways? I can identify the ETC readers, but there are also cameras (one per lane) facing traffic with red screens when you look at them. Are these speed cameras? Each time I pass under a gantry with camera looking, I slow down a bit because I'm paranoid lol, I think to myself I will not avoid the fine if It's a speed camera but make it less.
This is definitely a culture shock coming from a country with higher speed limits but stricter enforcement. I want to be a responsible driver and avoid fines, but I also don't want to obstruct traffic. So help me be a better driver =)
by MatchaBaguette