Ch. 6 · Hazardous Areas

Within 10 meters before and after the edge of a railroad crossing, you must not stop even for loading or unloading cargo.

[True / False · Medium]

Answer: ✓ True

Explanation

Within 10 meters before and after the edge of a railroad crossing, both parking and stopping are prohibited, except in cases such as stopping for a red light or to prevent danger. Brief stopping for loading or unloading cargo or for boarding and alighting of passengers is not permitted. This is an important regulation to prevent accidents near railroad crossings (Road Traffic Act Article 44, Paragraph 1, Item 6; Rules of the Road, Chapter 5, Section 8). Note that this is a different distance from the 5 meters before and after crosswalks.

Driving school curriculumStage 1 – Topic 6: Intersections and railroad crossings

Hikari
Hikari
Wait, isn't it okay to stop briefly if you're just loading something? It's not like you're parking there.
Misaki
Misaki
Actually, the statement is true—no stopping at all within 10 meters of a crossing edge, even for loading cargo. The law makes no exception for quick stops.
Hikari
Hikari
Oh wow, so it's stricter than I thought. Even a minute counts?
Misaki
Misaki
Exactly. Railroad crossings are high-risk zones, so loading and drop-offs are out—and remember, it's 10 meters here, not the 5 meters you see at crosswalks.

Source: Ch. 6 Hazardous Areas · Section (第１節 踏切) · Rules of the Road, Ch.5 §8 (Parking & stopping) / 2(2) — Neither parking nor stopping is allowed in the following places. (h) Railroad crossings and within 10 m before and after their edges. / Road Traffic Act Article 44, Paragraph 1, Item 6

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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.