Ch. 1 · Common Conduct

The light turned red at an intersection with a stop line, but stopping before the stop line would have risked a rear-end collision with the vehicle behind, so I crossed the stop line and stopped just before the intersection.

[True / False · Hard]

Answer: ✕ False

Explanation

The Rules of the Road state that when there is a stop line, you must stop just before it. Crossing the stop line due to concerns about vehicles behind you is not permitted. The correct approach is to maintain a sufficient following distance and drive at a speed that allows you to stop safely before the stop line.

Driving school curriculumStage 1 – Topic 2: Following traffic signals

Hikari
Hikari
If I'm worried about getting rear-ended, I can edge past the stop line a bit, right?
Yui
Yui
That's actually false. When there's a stop line, you must stop before it—no exceptions for the car behind you.
Hikari
Hikari
So what should I do instead?
Yui
Yui
Keep proper distance from the start and drive at a speed that lets you stop safely before the line every time.

Source: Ch. 1 Common Conduct · Section (第２節 信号) · Rules of the Road, Ch.1 §2 / 3(2) Regulatory markings prohibit or designate specific traffic behaviors — examples include no-parking markings and bus-lane-only markings. Types and meanings are listed in Appendix 3(2).

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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.