We can learn a lot from the practices and requirements that other countries adopt for safety. And in this case, people who love to ride bikes may take their cue from the Shinagawa employees of Tokyo. Employees of Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward riding motorcycles or scooters as part of their jobs will soon be required to wear protective vests, a first for a municipal government in Japan.

The vest, weighing 1.1 kilograms, has protective polypropylene sections in its back, chest and stomach, along with reflective patches, and is hoped to provide a special improvement to rider safety.

There were 196 accidents in Shinagawa Ward involving two-wheeled vehicles in 2008, albeit none of them fatal. However, Shinagawa had the 15th worst motorbike and scooter accident rate among the municipalities of Tokyo, and the vest is being adopted to prevent accidents and minimize accident injuries.

The ward has purchased 45 of the vests at a total cost of 810,000 yen, and has said that employees out and about on two wheels will begin wearing them in June. The ward also plans to lend the vests to police-operated traffic classes.

(Source) The Mainichi Daily News

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