au Insurance Conducts Awareness Survey on the Bicycle Traffic Violation Ticket System (Blue Ticket) Taking Effect in April
au Insurance conducted a survey of 14,098 bicycle users regarding the new 'blue ticket' traffic violation system for bicycles starting April 1, 2026. While 76% of respondents are aware of the system, only 32% correctly understand the specific violations covered, highlighting a significant gap between awareness and comprehension.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 23:00
- 🔍 Collected: March 30, 2026 at 22:56
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 2, 2026 at 13:02 (1526h 6m after Collected)
au Insurance Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Takeshi Nakai; hereinafter 'au Insurance') has conducted an awareness survey regarding the bicycle traffic violation notification system (the so-called 'blue ticket' system), which will be introduced on April 1, 2026, targeting 14,098 male and female bicycle users aged 15 to 69 across Japan.
Under the blue ticket system, 113 types of violations, such as 'ignoring traffic signals' and 'distracted riding,' will be subject to traffic violation fines. In this survey, our company selected 13 behaviors considered particularly common in daily bicycle use from the 113 types to assess bicycle users' awareness, actual behavior, and level of understanding regarding the blue ticket system. The results revealed a significant gap between awareness and understanding: while the level of awareness of the system reached a high of 76.0%, only 32.0% of people correctly understood the specific violations subject to the system.
1. Awareness of the bicycle blue ticket system is 76.0%
76.0% of respondents answered that they 'know' that the blue ticket system will be applied to bicycles starting in April 2026 [Table 1]. This suggests that awareness is spreading ahead of the system's introduction.
2. 40.5% of people have 'committed at least one violation' in the past year
When asked about 13 violation behaviors while riding a bicycle, 40.5% of respondents answered that they had 'committed at least one' in the past year [Table 2-1]. The most common behavior was 'riding on the right side of the road (wrong-way riding)' at 19.1% [Table 2-2].
3. 77.7% of people have 'seen others commit violations'
When asked about the 13 violation behaviors, 77.7% of respondents answered that they had 'seen at least one' instance of others riding or operating a bicycle in violation within the past year [Table 3-1]. The most common was so-called 'distracted riding,' such as 'using a mobile phone or holding an umbrella while riding,' at 42.8% [Table 3-2].
4. Understanding of behaviors subject to blue tickets is insufficient; cases of 'knowing but doing' and 'doing without knowing' are mixed
When asked about which of the 13 behaviors they thought were subject to the blue ticket system, only 32.0% of respondents correctly understood all of them [Table 4-1]. Regarding individual behaviors, 72.6% of people correctly recognized 'ignoring traffic signals' as being subject to the blue ticket system, followed by 'distracted riding' at 70.0% [Table 4-2]. Furthermore, 'ignoring traffic signals' and 'distracted riding' were also the most common behaviors that people admitted to doing while knowing they were violations, accounting for 85.0% and 80.6% respectively [Table 5].
On the other hand, while only 43.9% of people recognize that 'not slowing down when riding a bicycle on the sidewalk' is subject to the blue ticket system, 45.1% of respondents answered that they have done so without knowing it was a violation.
Given these findings, it is considered important to promote initiatives that prevent violations caused by a lack of understanding—such as publicizing the system and clarifying the content of the subject behaviors—while also encouraging behavioral changes for actions committed with the knowledge that they are violations.
This survey revealed that while interest in the bicycle blue ticket system is very high, the actual content of the subject behaviors is not sufficiently understood. Concurrently with this survey, au Insurance has renewed the 'Blue Ticket Guide' content on its official website. It uses illustrations to explain the blue ticket system in an easy-to-understand manner and also lists the 113 types of violations and their associated fines. We encourage all bicycle users to utilize this resource to promote correct knowledge and safe behavior.
Please visit the following URL to view the 'Blue Ticket Guide':
https://www.au-sonpo.co.jp/pc/lp_aokippu/
End
[Survey Overview] *Conducted by au Insurance
Survey Method: Internet questionnaire
Target: Bicycle users
Target Region: Nationwide Japan
Number of Respondents: 14,098
Age of Respondents: 15 to 69 years old
Survey Period: January 16, 2026 – January 19, 2026
*In this survey, figures are rounded to the first decimal place.
Under the blue ticket system, 113 types of violations, such as 'ignoring traffic signals' and 'distracted riding,' will be subject to traffic violation fines. In this survey, our company selected 13 behaviors considered particularly common in daily bicycle use from the 113 types to assess bicycle users' awareness, actual behavior, and level of understanding regarding the blue ticket system. The results revealed a significant gap between awareness and understanding: while the level of awareness of the system reached a high of 76.0%, only 32.0% of people correctly understood the specific violations subject to the system.
1. Awareness of the bicycle blue ticket system is 76.0%
76.0% of respondents answered that they 'know' that the blue ticket system will be applied to bicycles starting in April 2026 [Table 1]. This suggests that awareness is spreading ahead of the system's introduction.
2. 40.5% of people have 'committed at least one violation' in the past year
When asked about 13 violation behaviors while riding a bicycle, 40.5% of respondents answered that they had 'committed at least one' in the past year [Table 2-1]. The most common behavior was 'riding on the right side of the road (wrong-way riding)' at 19.1% [Table 2-2].
3. 77.7% of people have 'seen others commit violations'
When asked about the 13 violation behaviors, 77.7% of respondents answered that they had 'seen at least one' instance of others riding or operating a bicycle in violation within the past year [Table 3-1]. The most common was so-called 'distracted riding,' such as 'using a mobile phone or holding an umbrella while riding,' at 42.8% [Table 3-2].
4. Understanding of behaviors subject to blue tickets is insufficient; cases of 'knowing but doing' and 'doing without knowing' are mixed
When asked about which of the 13 behaviors they thought were subject to the blue ticket system, only 32.0% of respondents correctly understood all of them [Table 4-1]. Regarding individual behaviors, 72.6% of people correctly recognized 'ignoring traffic signals' as being subject to the blue ticket system, followed by 'distracted riding' at 70.0% [Table 4-2]. Furthermore, 'ignoring traffic signals' and 'distracted riding' were also the most common behaviors that people admitted to doing while knowing they were violations, accounting for 85.0% and 80.6% respectively [Table 5].
On the other hand, while only 43.9% of people recognize that 'not slowing down when riding a bicycle on the sidewalk' is subject to the blue ticket system, 45.1% of respondents answered that they have done so without knowing it was a violation.
Given these findings, it is considered important to promote initiatives that prevent violations caused by a lack of understanding—such as publicizing the system and clarifying the content of the subject behaviors—while also encouraging behavioral changes for actions committed with the knowledge that they are violations.
This survey revealed that while interest in the bicycle blue ticket system is very high, the actual content of the subject behaviors is not sufficiently understood. Concurrently with this survey, au Insurance has renewed the 'Blue Ticket Guide' content on its official website. It uses illustrations to explain the blue ticket system in an easy-to-understand manner and also lists the 113 types of violations and their associated fines. We encourage all bicycle users to utilize this resource to promote correct knowledge and safe behavior.
Please visit the following URL to view the 'Blue Ticket Guide':
https://www.au-sonpo.co.jp/pc/lp_aokippu/
End
[Survey Overview] *Conducted by au Insurance
Survey Method: Internet questionnaire
Target: Bicycle users
Target Region: Nationwide Japan
Number of Respondents: 14,098
Age of Respondents: 15 to 69 years old
Survey Period: January 16, 2026 – January 19, 2026
*In this survey, figures are rounded to the first decimal place.