問題6:自転車のヘルメット着用義務化に賛成か反対か

【問題文】
“Wearing a protective helmet while cycling should be made compulsory in Japan for both children and adults.” Write a paragraph IN ENGLISH explaining whether you agree or disagree with this statement. (You may also express an opinion partly agreeing and partly disagreeing.) You should offer at least one reason and/or example to support your view.

■ 解答例1(賛成)

I agree that wearing a helmet while cycling should be made compulsory for both children and adults in Japan. The primary reason is safety: head injuries are the leading cause of death in cycling accidents, and studies consistently show that helmets reduce the risk of serious head trauma by a significant margin. While Japan already requires helmets for children under thirteen, adults are frequently seen cycling without any protection, even on busy roads shared with cars and trucks. Making helmet use compulsory for everyone would close this gap and could be enforced gradually, starting with fines similar to those used for traffic violations. Countries such as Australia, which introduced mandatory helmet laws decades ago, have seen a measurable decline in cycling fatalities as a result. For these reasons, I support extending the current helmet requirement to all cyclists in Japan.

■ 解答例2(部分的に賛成・部分的に反対)

I partly agree and partly disagree with this statement. For children, I strongly support compulsory helmet use, since their bones are still developing and a head injury at a young age can have lifelong consequences; furthermore, children are less experienced at judging traffic risks. For adults, however, I am more hesitant to support a strict legal requirement. Many adults commute short distances at low speed on quiet residential streets, where the risk of a serious accident is relatively low, and a blanket law might simply discourage cycling altogether in a country that benefits greatly from it as an eco-friendly and low-cost mode of transport. Instead of compulsory enforcement for adults, I would favor strong public awareness campaigns and helmet subsidies that encourage voluntary use without the threat of legal penalty. Therefore, I support a mandatory law for children but a softer, incentive-based approach for adults.

■ 覚えておきたい表現・文法

・made compulsory for ~ = ~に対して義務化される(compulsory=obligatory、法律系エッセイの必須語)
・the leading cause of ~ = ~の主な原因(統計を使う際の定番フレーズ)
・by a significant margin = かなりの差で(数値的な差を表す表現)
・close this gap = このギャップを埋める(制度の不備を指摘した後の解決策として便利)
・a measurable decline in ~ = ~の測定可能な減少(データに基づく主張であることを示す)
・I partly agree and partly disagree = 部分的賛成のテーマで使える定型の書き出し
・a blanket law/policy = 一律の(例外を認めない)法律・政策(このテーマ特有の便利な表現)
・discourage A altogether = Aを完全に思いとどまらせる
・an incentive-based approach ⇔ enforcement-based approach = インセンティブ型⇔強制型、政策論のペア表現