Ch. 11 · Owner & Manager

A friend said "it's just a short trip, so it's fine," so I lent my vehicle to a friend whose license was suspended but who has driving skills, to go to a nearby convenience store.

[True / False · Medium]

Answer: ✕ False

Explanation

The Rules of the Road state "do not lend your vehicle to unlicensed people or people who have been drinking," and driving while a license is suspended is considered unlicensed driving. Regardless of distance or reason, this is a violation, and the vehicle owner is also subject to penalties.

Driving school curriculumStage 2 – Topic 14: Vehicle owner responsibilities and insurance

Hikari
Hikari
It's just a quick errand to the store — that shouldn't be a big deal, right?
Yui
Yui
Wrong! A suspended license counts as unlicensed, and lending your car to someone unlicensed is illegal no matter how short the trip.
Hikari
Hikari
Even if they know how to drive and nothing happened?
Yui
Yui
Yep — you as the owner can be penalized too. Never lend to someone who's suspended or unlicensed.

Source: Ch. 11 Owner & Manager · Section (第1節 自動車所有者などの義務 5 自動車の管理) · Rules of the Road, Ch.11 §1 (Duties of vehicle owners) — Secure a parking place (within 2 km of principal use, off the road), register the vehicle (or notify for light vehicles/mopeds), undergo periodic statutory inspections (shaken), and maintain compulsory third-party-liability insurance (jibaiseki).

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Source content excerpted from the NPA “Rules of the Road” instructional manual, in the public domain under Japanese Copyright Act Article 13(2). Explanations are AI-assisted and copyrighted by the MenkyoQuest editorial team.