NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office (Oyaji, Atsubetsu-ku, Sapporo; Regional Head Office president: Katsuji Kubotera) has 3 consecutive holidays on "Sea Day" [Saturday, July 15, 2006-Monday, July 17, 2006] The following is a summary of traffic congestion trends due to traffic concentration on Expressway in Hokkaido, locations where traffic congestion is predicted, and transit times.

Please use it to create a comfortable travel plan for customers, such as avoiding times when traffic congestion is predicted. This traffic congestion forecast may change due to accidents, weather conditions, etc., so please check the road conditions on the day of use at the Japan Road Traffic Information Center, Highway Telephone, etc.

Congestion prediction

(1) Congestion trends:

On the 16th (Sun) of the 3 consecutive holidays, 2km (am) at the Asari Main Line tollgate and 1km (pm) at the Sapporo Nishi Main Line tollgate are expected.

(2) Locations where transit is predicted and required transit time

* In NEXCO EAST, "congestion" is defined as "a train that keeps running or stopping at a speed of 40km/h or less and continues for 1km or more and 15 minutes or more".

-Reference: Traffic jam situation last year-

During the 3 consecutive holidays last July <Saturday 16th to 18th (Monday)>, traffic congestion of 1km or more and 1 hour or more occurred at the following locations.

Traffic jam information

• Congestion information is provided through various media such as the Internet.
• You can get information anytime, anywhere, such as before departure, while driving, or during breaks.

(1) On the Internet

(2) By phone

(3) Road traffic information available while driving

(4) At rest facility

Request to customers

During this period, Expressway and service areas are expected to be crowded. Please make a comfortable usage plan based on this traffic congestion forecast. We also ask our customers to do the following in order to drive safely.

1. Wear your seat belt in the back seat
   The seat belt softens the lifeline and the impact on the body during a collision. Please wear seat belts not only in the driver's seat and passenger seat, but also in the rear seats.
2. Be careful of rear-end collisions at the end of traffic jams
   When a traffic jam occurs, a rear-end collision is likely to occur in the traffic jam or at the end of the traffic jam. Don't look aside, try to drive safely, and if you are in a traffic jam, use a hazard lamp to signal the car behind you to prevent a rear-end collision.
3. Keep a sufficient distance between ETC lanes and drive slowly to drive safely.
   In the ETC lane, keep a sufficient distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, slow down sufficiently so that you can safely stop before the opening/closing bar, and check that the opening/closing bar is open before passing.
4. In the unlikely event of an accident or breakdown, immediately evacuate to a safe place.
   Incidents of people being hit by the Expressway are increasing.
   If you stop due to a traffic accident or breakdown, staying on the road is very dangerous. If you notify a following vehicle of danger by using a hazard lamp, a triangular stop sign, or a smoke tube, please be careful of the passing vehicle and immediately evacuate to a safe place such as outside the guardrail. Also, please make an emergency phone call.
5. Take a moderate break and drive safely
   Driving at night or driving for a long time is easy to get tired. Take appropriate breaks in the service area and try to drive safely.
   In addition, please be aware that there are some cases in which the wrong direction of approach has been entered from the service area, etc., causing the car to run backwards on the main Expressway and lead to an accident.
6. Refuel and toilet early
   Please refuel and toilet as soon as possible, such as before the traffic jam section.