# 道路交通法 / Road Traffic Act — 第二十六条の二 (Article 26-2) - Law: 道路交通法 (Road Traffic Act), 昭和三十五年法律第百五号 - English title "Road Traffic Act": Ministry of Justice translation - Kind: Act — the distinction between 法律 (Act), 政令 (Cabinet Order), 省令 (Ministerial Order) and 条例 (local ordinance) decides who may issue it and what it may say. - Provision: 第二十六条の二 (Article 26-2)（進路の変更の禁止） — address `art-26-2` - Text in force since: 2026-07-21 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-26-2 - Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-26-2 - Every provision below carries its address and both URLs on the line under it. - Japanese text: e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁). English: as marked on each line below. Only the Japanese as published by the government has legal effect; the text below is a copy of it. Every English rendering below is a translation and says which kind: the Ministry of Justice's translation, or this site's machine translation, whose model and date the Sources list names. They are never merged and never substituted for one another. --- ### 第二十六条の二（進路の変更の禁止） — (Prohibition on Changing Course) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-26-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-26-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-26-2 **第一項** 車両は、みだりにその進路を変更してはならない。 art-26-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-26-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-26-2/par-1 The driver of a vehicle must not change course without due cause. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 車両は、進路を変更した場合にその変更した後の進路と同一の進路を後方から進行してくる車両等の速度又は方向を急に変更させることとなるおそれがあるときは、進路を変更してはならない。 art-26-2/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-26-2/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-26-2/par-2 The driver of a vehicle must not change course if this would likely cause a sudden change of speed or direction by a vehicle or streetcar that is approaching from behind on the same course that the driver would be on after changing course. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** 車両は、車両通行帯を通行している場合において、その車両通行帯が当該車両通行帯を通行している車両の進路の変更の禁止を表示する道路標示によつて区画されているときは、次に掲げる場合を除き、その道路標示をこえて進路を変更してはならない。 art-26-2/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-26-2/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-26-2/par-3 Except in the following cases, when proceeding down a vehicle traffic lane demarcated with road markings to show that a change of course is prohibited for vehicles in that lane, the driver of a vehicle must not change course beyond where those road markings start: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **一** 第四十条の規定により道路の左側若しくは右側に寄るとき、又は道路の損壊、道路工事その他の障害のためその通行している車両通行帯を通行することができないとき。 art-26-2/par-3/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-26-2/par-3/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-26-2/par-3/item-1 when bringing the vehicle towards the left or right side of a road pursuant to Article 40 or if it is impossible to continue to proceed down the current vehicle traffic lane due to road damage, road work, or any other obstruction; Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **二** 第四十条の規定に従うため、又は道路の損壊、道路工事その他の障害のため、通行することができなかつた車両通行帯を通行の区分に関する規定に従つて通行しようとするとき。 art-26-2/par-3/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-26-2/par-3/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-26-2/par-3/item-2 when attempting to proceed in compliance with Article 40, or when attempting to proceed in accordance with the provisions on traffic distribution in a vehicle traffic lane where the vehicle is unable to proceed due to road damage, road work, or any other obstruction. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-26-2/par-3/item-1: 第四十条 → 道路交通法 第四十条 (Article 40), art-40 — https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-40 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-40 - art-26-2/par-3/item-2: 第四十条 → 道路交通法 第四十条 (Article 40), art-40 — https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-40 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-40 ## Cited by 7 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 道路交通法 第二十条第三項（車両通行帯） — https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-20/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-20/par-3 - 道路交通法 第四十一条第一項（緊急自動車等の特例） — https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-41/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-41/par-1 - 道路交通法 第四十一条の二第四項（消防用車両の優先等） — https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-41-2/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-41-2/par-4 - 道路交通法 第七十五条の八の二第四項（重被牽引車を牽引する牽引自動車の通行区分） — https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-75-8-2/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-75-8-2/par-4 - 道路交通法 第百十七条の二の二第一項第八号ホ — https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-117-2-2/par-1/item-8/sub-5 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-117-2-2/par-1/item-8/sub-5 - 道路交通法 第百二十条第一項第二号 — https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-120/par-1/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-120/par-1/item-2 - 道路交通法 第百二十条第一項第三号 — https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-120/par-1/item-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/335AC0000000105/art-120/par-1/item-3 --- ## Sources - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 道路交通法 — the text in force from 2026-07-21 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/335AC0000000105/20260721_508AC0000000052), retrieved 2026-10-13 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Road Traffic Act — Ministry of Justice translation (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/2962/tb), retrieved 2026-10-13 - This site's parser, version 190 — 道路交通法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-10-13