About the results of the winter tire installation rate survey on Expressway (2)

~About 20% of vehicles still not equipped with winter tires~

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  • About the results of the winter tire installation rate survey on Expressway (2)

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November 22 2024
East Nippon Expressway Co., Ltd.
Niigata Regional Head Office

NEXCO EAST Niigata Regional Head Office (Chuo-ku, Niigata City) conducted its second winter tire installation rate survey this winter at service areas (SA) and parking areas (PA) on Expressway in Niigata Prefecture and elsewhere from November 19th (Tuesday) to November 20th (Wednesday). The results showed that the overall rate of vehicles not installing winter tires was 23%.
This survey is being conducted with the aim of encouraging early change to winter tires and raising awareness of safe driving on winter roads. If you have not yet installed winter tires, please change to winter tires as soon as possible and carry chains with you. We also ask that you drive safely when using Expressway.

1. 1. Outline of winter tire installation rate survey

Survey method

  • Surveyor visually confirms the tire type of the vehicle parked in the SA / PA surveyed
  • 50 vehicles surveyed at one location
  • Large vehicles are oversized vehicles, large vehicles, medium-sized vehicles, and small vehicles are regular vehicles and light vehicles classified by charge type.

Survey place

E17 Kan-Etsu Expressway Tanigawadake PA,
E8 Hokuriku Expressway Kurosaki PA, Hokuriku Expressway Yoneyama SA,
E18 Joshinetsu Expressway Myoko SA and Arai PA

  • All carried out on the Out-bound

Scheduled survey date / Result announcement date

  • The survey date is subject to change due to weather and other reasons.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Scheduled survey date 11/12 (Tue) 11/19 (Tue) 11/26 (Tue) 12/3 (Tue)
Results publication date 11/15 (Fri) 11/22(Fri) 11/29(Fri) 12/6 (Fri)

2. Survey results (number of vehicles surveyed: 200)

This survey was conducted on one of the following dates: Tuesday, November 19th - Wednesday, November 20th.

Survey location Classification Number of surveys Wearing rate First snow day
Ordinary tire Winter tires Total This survey
From November 19th (Tue)
11/20(Wed)
【reference】
First Survey
11/12 (Tue)
E17 Kan-Etsu Expressway
Tanigawadake PA (Out-bound)
Small car 4 12 16 75% 3% Last year: 11/24
This year: Unobserved
Large car 1 33 34 97% 81%
Total 5 45 50 90% 36%
E8Hokuriku Expressway
Kurosaki PA (Out-bound)
Small car 13 12 25 48% 27% Last year: 12/17
This year: not observed
Large car 1 24 25 96% 79%
Total 14 36 50 72% 52%
E8 Hokuriku Expressway
Yoneyama SA (Out-bound)
Small car 21 19 40 48% 15% Last year: 12/20
This year: Unobserved
Large car 0 10 10 100% 88%
Total 21 29 50 58% 38%
E18 Joshinetsu Expressway
Myoko SA/Arai PA
(Out-bound)
Small car 6 29 35 83% 22% Last year: 11/18
This year: 11/18
Large car 0 15 15 100% 31%
Total 6 44 50 88% twenty four%
total Small car 44 72 116 62% 17%
Large car 2 82 84 98% 73%
Total 46 154 200 77% 38%
Photo 1 of the survey situation
Photo 2 of the survey situation
Investigation status

3. Three points for driving safely Expressway in winter

  1. Early winter equipment (installation of winter tires, carrying chains)
    • Winter is just around the corner, so please switch to winter tires early.
    • Make sure the tread depth of your winter tyres is no more than 50% of what it was when new.
    • In heavy snowfall, you may be required to use chains even on winter tires, so be sure to carry chains with you.
  2. Drive safely and reduce your speed (especially in early winter!)
    • Do not perform sudden actions such as sudden steering, sudden acceleration, or sudden braking.
      Please drive slowly and safely, keeping a sufficient distance between vehicles.
    • In particular, at the beginning of winter, drivers tend to be more prone to accidents as their sense of driving on snowy roads has not yet recovered.
  3. Frequently gathering information before and during your outing
    • The weather can change suddenly on winter Expressway, and even if it's sunny where you start, it may be snowing at your destination or at a passing point.
      Please check road and weather information frequently before setting out or when taking a break at a service area.
    • "Drive Traffic (DraTra)" provides real-time traffic information and information on Expressway road conditions (snowy road live camera).

4. Getting stuck in snow

  • It is easier to get stuck when there is snow.
  • NEXCO EAST official YouTube channel introduces the mechanism by which stacks occur and how to prevent them from occurring. Please take a look at it as a reference for safe driving.

Reference video: "How to avoid getting stuck! ? I will explain how the stack occurs.』

Photo of an accident on a winter road
Accidents on winter roads
Image of "Always use winter tires on snowy roads!"

NEXCO EAST, in order to use the winter Expressway safely, securely, comfortably and conveniently, safety awareness activities and traffic safety campaigns at SA / PA / toll offices, and national Expressway / SA information site "DraPla" , "Dr. Mammoshi's Winter Expressway Course" is actively disseminating information on snowy roads.

Image of Dr. Mammoshi
  • “ NEXCO EAST Niigata Regional Head Office X (formerly Twitter) @e_nexco_niigata
    We provide information on traffic jams, road closures, and driving/travel information in Niigata Prefecture.
  • Please add the LINE account "NEXCO EAST" as a friend. Search ID: @e-nexco
    We are providing winter road information via LINE throughout NEXCO EAST jurisdiction. We will be sending out information that will be useful for driving on winter roads, such as road closure predictions and road images, so please add us as a friend via the QR code.

"NEXCO EAST" LINE friend addition QR code
"NEXCO EAST" LINE friend addition QR code (external link)

The NEXCO EAST Group has positioned the period from 2021 to 2025 as "a period to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs and transform toward a new future society", and is carrying out various initiatives.
We believe that the implementation of this winter tire installation rate survey will contribute to SDG Goal 3 as a business activity that will lead to the reduction of casualties due to traffic accidents.

Image of the SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS logo and the 3rd SDGs logo
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