Survey on Bicycle 'Blue Ticket' System: "About Half Understand Violations," "Nearly 70% Plan to Own a Helmet"

Survey on Bicycle 'Blue Ticket' System: "About Half Understand Violations," "Nearly 70% Plan to Own a Helmet" ### - A Survey Report for May 1st, "Bicycle Helmet Day" -

OGK KABUTO Co., Ltd. (Location: Higashiosaka City, President: Hiroki Kimura), a domestic pioneer in bicycle helmets, conducted a survey of approximately 1,000 male and female bicycle users aged 15 and older nationwide ahead of May 1st, "Bicycle Helmet Day," regarding the new bicycle "blue ticket" system. The results revealed that while over 90% are aware of the system's introduction, only about half understand the specific violations. Furthermore, it was found that 36% currently own a bicycle helmet, with another 32% planning to purchase one. Among those who own a helmet but do not wear it, nearly 70% intend to start wearing it once the system is implemented.

### **【Survey Result Summary】** 1. **Over 90% are aware of the bicycle "blue ticket" system, but only about half understand the specific violations.** 2. **85% report increased awareness of bicycle traffic safety after learning about the blue ticket system.** 3. **Bicycle helmet ownership is at 36%, with an additional 32% planning to acquire one.** 4. **Over 70% of those who own a helmet but didn't wear it will start wearing it after the blue ticket system begins.** 5. **Nearly 70% have experienced an accident or a near-miss while riding a bicycle.**

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**【Survey Results】**

### **<Awareness of the Bicycle Blue Ticket System>**

**1. Over 90% know about the system, but only about half understand the violations.**

When asked to choose the statement that best describes them regarding the blue ticket system, 14.3% said they "understand the specific violations and penalty amounts," and 33.2% said they "understand the specific violations (but not the penalty amounts)," totaling 47.5% who understand the specific violations. Awareness of the system's launch was high at 92%, with TV news and information programs being the top sources of information.

### **<Safety Awareness from the Bicycle Blue Ticket System>**

**2. 85% felt their traffic safety awareness increased after learning about the system.**

To the question, "Has your awareness of bicycle traffic safety increased since learning about the blue ticket system?" 30.2% responded "Strongly agree" and 55.1% responded "Somewhat agree," totaling 85.3% who felt their safety awareness had increased. By occupation, the highest percentage of "Strongly agree" responses came from business owners/executives (40.9%), followed by civil servants (40%).

### **<Bicycle Helmet Ownership>**

**3. Helmet ownership is at 36%, with 32% planning to purchase one.**

When asked, "Do you own a bicycle helmet?" 36.4% answered "Yes." Another 11.0% said they "don't own one but plan to get one soon," and 21.4% said they "don't own one but want to get one eventually," indicating that 32.4% intend to acquire a helmet in the future. The highest ownership rate was among people in their 20s (57%), while the lowest was among those in their 50s (26.9%).

### **<Bicycle Helmet Usage>**

**4. Over 70% of those who own a helmet but didn't wear it will start after the blue ticket system.**

Among helmet owners, only 58.7% (just under 60%) said they "almost always wear a helmet" when riding. However, among those who "hardly ever wear one" (12.1%) or "never wear one" (11.6%), 28.3% responded they "will wear one once the blue ticket system starts," 19.6% said they "will start wearing one after seeing more public information about the system (around the end of the year)," and 23.9% said they "will start wearing one when everyone else starts wearing one."

### **<Experience with Bicycle Accidents>**

**5. Nearly 70% have experienced an accident or near-miss.**

To the question, "Have you ever been in an accident or had a near-miss while riding a bicycle?" 21.3% said they "have actually been in an accident," and 47.6% said they "haven't been in an accident but have had a near-miss experience," revealing that 68.9% have had an accident or a close call.

### **<Other Survey Topics>** * **Over 80% believe wearing a helmet is effective for saving lives.** To the question, "Do you think wearing a helmet is effective for saving lives?" 31.4% responded "Strongly agree" and 50.1% said "Agree," with 81.5% believing it is effective. Notably, over 70% of those who almost always wear a helmet answered "Strongly agree," compared to only about 25% of those who hardly ever or never wear one. This shows that a higher perception of helmet effectiveness leads to higher usage rates. * **"Road/environment整備" and "opportunities to learn about accident risks" are crucial for safe cycling.** When asked, "Besides the blue ticket system, what do you think is 'important' for promoting safe bicycle use?" the most common answer was "Development of roads and environments where bicycles can run safely" (48.3%), followed by "Opportunities to learn about dangerous behaviors and accident risks in an easy-to-understand way" (38.7%).

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**【Conclusion】**

**Society is moving towards bicycle helmet usage.** **~The number of deaths and serious injuries from head trauma without a helmet is about 1.7 times that of those wearing one.~**

More than half of fatalities in bicycle accidents are due to fatal head injuries. Among those who died or were seriously injured primarily from head injuries, the proportion of those not wearing a helmet is about 1.7 times that of those who were. Nevertheless, the national average helmet-wearing rate in 2025 was 21%, remaining low.

This survey, conducted just before the introduction of the bicycle blue ticket system, found that over 90% were aware of the system, and over 85% stated that their "awareness of bicycle traffic safety has increased since learning about the blue ticket system." This heightened safety consciousness likely contributed to the higher-than-expected results, with 36% of people "owning" a helmet and 32% "planning to get one soon or eventually."

Furthermore, among those who own a helmet but did not wear it, about 30% intend to "start wearing it when the blue ticket system begins," and about 40% intend to "start wearing it once the system is more widely known and everyone else starts wearing one."

In past surveys by OGK Kabuto, a common reason for not wearing a helmet was "because nobody else does." However, these new results suggest a growing momentum to "start wearing one soon," prompted by the new system. As adherence to the rule that bicycles must generally ride on the roadway spreads, the importance of helmets will be more consciously recognized, and it is expected that both ownership and usage rates will further increase after the system begins.

However, there are still products on the market sold as bicycle helmets whose safety is questionable. Therefore, OGK Kabuto plans to further strengthen its information dissemination on correct products in collaboration with the Japan Helmet Manufacturers Association, the Consumer Product Safety Association, the Consumer Affairs Agency, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Now that the introduction of the bicycle blue ticket system is raising awareness of traffic safety, our company will continue its educational activities and contribute to society as a whole.