World · East Asia & Pacific · 3 hrs ago
Japan adds colored pavement to school-route crosswalks
Japan is adding color to school-route crosswalks to make them more noticeable to drivers.
In Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, the city added green between the white stripes after a six-year-old girl was killed while crossing on her way to school.
The crash happened on July 15 at an intersection without traffic signals, and the crosswalk’s white stripes had worn away.
Other Japanese cities have also adopted the measure, including Nagoya, which began expanding it in 2023 after a child was killed and another was injured at a crossing.
A small test in Toyohashi found that drivers braked more often and began braking farther from an intersection after color was added.
Komaki plans to add colored pavement at more crossings, though police and road administrators consult on each installation and there is no standard color.
Japan is expanding colored pavement on school-route crosswalks to make them more noticeable to drivers.
Komaki in Aichi Prefecture decided to add the measure at more locations after a first-grade girl was killed on a crosswalk.
The girl was struck by a car on July 15 at an intersection without a traffic signal.
Aichi Prefecture testing found that drivers braked more often and began braking sooner after pavement was colored.
Municipalities use different colors, and there is no standardized color for the measure.
- Who
- Municipalities across Japan are adding colored pavement to school-route crosswalks.
- What
- The spaces between white crosswalk stripes are painted in colors such as green, red or light blue.
- When
- The measure has been introduced in Japan since 2008 and is spreading. Komaki decided to expand it after a fatal accident on July 15, 2026.
- Where
- School-route crosswalks across Japan, including locations in Aichi Prefecture, Hokkaido, Miyazaki Prefecture and Nagoya.
- Why
- To make crosswalks more noticeable to drivers and improve children's safety.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Hokkaido introduced colored pavement as a safety measure.
Two girls were struck by a car while crossing a Nagoya street; one was killed and the other injured.
Nagoya added green lines to 131 school-route crosswalks on major roads with at least two lanes in each direction.
A six-year-old first grader was struck and killed on a crosswalk in Komaki.
Komaki repainted the crosswalk and added green between its white stripes.
- Komaki accident
- July 15, 2026
- Girl killed
- Six-year-old first grader
- Nagoya crosswalks
- Green lines added to 131 locations in 2023
- Komaki repainting
- About two weeks after the accident
- Brake-light test
- Drivers began braking about 5 meters farther back at a T-intersection after colored pavement was added
What people are saying
I noticed her too late.
a highly effective measure that can be introduced at low cost and in a short period of time to protect children's safety.