４月１日から変わる自転車の交通法規

　早いもので、日本では今年度も残すところあと1週間になりました。明日は地元・倉賀野小学校では卒業式が行われます。２０年ほど前から、私は仲間と共に登下校時の交通指導を担当してきたので、最初の頃、６年生だった当時の児童もすでに３０才を過ぎていることになり、今では、きっと各方面で社会の中核となり、活躍されていることでしょう。交通指導は今後も継続するつもりです。実は、朝から身体を動かすと、空腹になり朝食が美味しくなります。

　ところで、春本番となり、今日の日の出は５時４４分、正午の太陽高度は５４°、日の入りは１７時５８分【群馬県】となり、昼の時間は１２時間１４分です。庭では「源平枝垂れ桃」がかなり咲き始め、春本番を告げています。不思議なことに、このように花木の開花に囲まれてると、一人で生活してる孤独感はその瞬間、消えていて、花たちが仲間であり、家族として笑顔を呈しています。

　一方、現実の人間社会を見ると、驚くほどの変化を見せてます。今まで、長きに亘り気楽に乗っていた自転車ですが、４月１日より、乗り方に違反が起こると「１６才以上」では高い反則金が課せられます。これは運転免許のあるなしに関係なく、特に「スマホを見ながらの自転車運転」は危険この上もないことから、違反が生じると１６才では自ら反則金が払えないことから親の負担が今までになく増えます。交通法規を守って交通事故を未然に防がなくてはなりません。

Dear my friends who ride bicycle

　Time flies, and in Japan, there's only one week left of this academic year. Tomorrow, the graduation ceremony will be held at my local Kuragano Elementary School. Since about 20 years, I've been in charge of traffic safety guidance during school commutes with my colleagues. The students who were sixth graders at that time are now over 30 years old, I guess, so I'm sure they're now playing key roles in various fields of society. I intend to continue this traffic safety guidance in the future as well. Actually, safety guidance in the morning makes me hungry, which makes breakfast taste better. This is a definite benefit!

　By the way, spring is in full swing now. Today's sunrise was at 5:44 AM, the sun's altitude at noon will be 54°, and sunset will be at 5:58 PM [Gumma Prefecture where I live], resulting in a daylight hours of 12 hours and 14 minutes. In my garden, the Bicolored Genpei weeping peach tree has begun to bloom considerably, signaling the arrival of spring. Strangely enough, when surrounded by these blooming flowers, my loneliness of living alone disappears in that moment, and the flowers become my companions, my family, smiling at me.

　Meanwhile, looking at real human society, we are seeing astonishing changes. Bicycles, which have long been ridden casually for us, will now be subject to hefty fines for violations of riding rules for those 16 years of age and older, starting April 1st this year. This applies regardless of whether or not one has a driver's license. In particular, "riding a bicycle while looking at a smartphone" is extremely dangerous, and if a 16-year-old commits a violation, they will not be able to pay the fine themselves, so that thus increasing the burden on parents more than ever before. We must obey traffic laws to prevent traffic accidents in advance.