Springtime Drivers

Driving is considered a huge privilege here. It is expensive to receive the proper training, and it is not easy to be considered qualified. Just owning a car here is expensive, with taxes, insurance, fuel, parking and upkeep. Japanese who drive are considered professional drivers. It is a huge responsibility, for it is the driver who must be aware of everyone else – pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers. If you have an accident, it is your fault; you are the driver, so you are responsible. In order that other professional drivers know that someone is a new driver or perhaps is driving a different sort of vehicle that they had previously, there are stickers to put on the front and rear of the vehicle. New drivers are called Springtime Drivers and the sticker is a stylized depiction of two leaves, one yellow and one spring green. With these stickers on the car, other drivers know to be extra careful around them and more tolerant of their mistakes. People are not embarrassed to have the stickers. It is their responsibility as a new driver to warn other drivers. There are also Autumn Drivers, and the sticker for them is two leaves, one yellow and one burnt orange. Autumn Drivers are senior citizens – people who should be accorded respect on the road and also who might need to be watched out for. When we head back to the states in a few years, I am going to bring some Springtime Driver stickers for my daughter’s first car (and Autumn Driver stickers for my own!)