Accidents involving children riding in rear bicycle seats are on the rise in Japan, with 207 incidents occurring over the past five years, according to a recent report.

Riding bicycles with children in a rear seat is a popular way of getting around for many parents in urban areas of Japan, especially in Tokyo. Riders 16 years old and above are allowed to ride a bicycle with one preschool child sitting on a child seat attached to the bike.

However, the National Consumer Affairs Center has warned that there has been an uptick in accidents involving small children riding on the back of bicycles.

A video released on the center¡¯s YouTube channel demonstrated that when children are sitting on the back of the bicycle, their vision is almost completely blocked by the adult in front, meaning they are unable to see potential obstacles up ahead.

The video also showed the possible dangers that could occur if a child sticks their leg out from the foot guards, as they can easily injure themselves on utility poles or guard rails that they can¡¯t see.

There has also been an increase in children getting their feet caught in bicycle spokes, as they are so close to the foot guards.

According to the report, between fiscal 2019 and 2023, there were 78 cases of children getting injured from their feet getting caught in bicycle spokes, 63 falls and 37 cases of parts of their bodies hitting obstacles.

Roughly half of collisions resulted in fractures and more than half of the spoke-related injuries occurred when the child was seated on a luggage carrier and not in a child seat.

The report also detailed numerous cases. Last November, for instance, a 4-year-old girl fractured her femur when her leg struck a guardrail while riding on a child seat at the back of an electric-assist bicycle, requiring a three-week hospital stay.

Similarly, in August 2022, a 5-year-old boy sustained a head injury requiring stitches after leaning out of a child seat at the back of a bicycle and hitting his head on a utility pole. He was not wearing a helmet at the time.

The center stressed the importance of ensuring children wear properly fitted seat belts and helmets, as well as recommending adults to walk bicycles through narrow passages instead of riding through them, in order to reduce the likelihood of collisions.