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NEXCO EAST Niigata Regional Head Office (Chuo-ku, Niigata City) conducted its third winter tire installation rate survey this winter at service areas (SA) and parking areas (PA) on Expressway in Niigata Prefecture and elsewhere from November 25th (Mon) to November 27th (Wed). The results showed that the overall rate of vehicles not installing winter tires was 15%.
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関越道　谷川岳PA、E8北陸道　黒埼PA、北陸道　米山SA、E18上信越道　妙高SA

• 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.

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

This survey was conducted on one of the following dates: Monday, November 25th - Wednesday, November 27th.

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.』

• “ 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