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NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office (Atsubetsu-ku, Sapporo) will be implementing three initiatives, including a joint deployment ceremony with the Hokkaido Prefectural Police, to coincide with the nationwide spring traffic safety campaign from April 6th (Monday) to April 15th (Wednesday), calling on customers using Expressway to drive safely.

Three initiatives during the Spring National Traffic Safety Campaign

1. A joint "Spring National Traffic Safety Campaign Deployment Ceremony" with the Hokkaido Expressway Traffic Police Unit (Highway Patrol).
2. In cooperation with the Hokkaido Prefectural Police and the Hokkaido Transport Bureau, traffic safety campaigns, street awareness activities, and wheel-off prevention checks will be conducted at service areas (SA), parking areas (PA), interchanges (IC), and roadside stations.
3. Traffic safety awareness quiz on Hokkaido Regional Head Office official X (formerly Twitter)

1. Three initiatives Implementation details

(1) Spring National Traffic Safety Campaign Dispatch Ceremony

See attached document for details [PDF: 285KB]

• Date and Time
  Monday, April 6, 2026, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (tentative)
• place
  NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office

Hokkaido Prefectural Police Highway Patrol Cars and NEXCO EAST patrol cars will be lined up and deployed simultaneously to ensure safety and security on Hokkaido's Expressway and to work towards zero traffic accidents.
In addition, representatives from "Seiho Gakuen Certified Children's Garden Ooyachi" will be joining us to liven up the dispatch ceremony with their handmade flags. After the dispatch ceremony, visitors can enjoy viewing and riding in patrol cars, and interact with our manners-enhancing characters, "Manatee" and "Ikanzame," to raise their awareness of traffic safety.

• In the event of bad weather or an emergency, the event may be canceled or changed.

(2) Traffic safety campaigns and public awareness activities at service areas, parking areas, interchanges, and roadside stations.

During the Spring National Traffic Safety Campaign, we will be conducting traffic safety campaigns at service areas, parking areas, interchanges, and roadside stations throughout Hokkaido, together with the Hokkaido Prefectural Police, the Hokkaido Transport Bureau, and the manners promotion characters "Manatee" and "Ikanzame."
Through street awareness campaigns, wheel-off prevention checks, and novelty item distribution, we aim to encourage safe driving among Expressway users and achieve zero traffic accidents.

• In the event of bad weather or an emergency, the event may be canceled or changed.

Date and time (April)	place
Tuesday, the 7th 10:30 - 11:30	E5 Hokkaido Expressway Watsu PA (In-bound: towards Tomakomai)
Tuesday, the 7th 11:00-11:40	E5 Hokkaido Expressway Usuzan Service Area (In-bound: towards Hakodate)
Tuesday, the 7th 14:30-15:00	E5 Hokkaido Expressway Yakumo PA (both directions)
Thursday, the 9th 9:30-10:30	E5 Hokkaido Expressway Asahikawa Takasu IC (entrance/exit)
Thursday, the 9th 11:00 - 12:00	E5A Sasson Expressway Kanayama PA (In-bound: towards Otaru)
Thursday, the 9th 13:30-14:30	E38 Doto Expressway Shimukappu PA (Out-bound: towards Obihiro)
Thursday, the 9th 14:00-15:00	E5 Hokkaido Expressway Sunagawa Service Area (In-bound: Towards Sapporo)
Friday, the 10th 13:30-14:30	Otofuke Roadside Station
Tuesday, the 14th 16:00-17:00	E5 Hokkaido Expressway Iwamizawa Service Area (In-bound: Towards Sapporo)

(3) Traffic safety awareness quiz on official X (formerly Twitter)

During the Spring National Traffic Safety Campaign, NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office will be holding a traffic safety quiz on its official X (formerly Twitter) account.
The quiz is based on "2. NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office 's Spring National Traffic Safety Campaign: Four Key Awareness Points," and will ask questions about points to be aware of when using Expressway. Participating in the quiz will help deepen your understanding of traffic safety and safe driving.
We hope this will be helpful for safe driving, and we look forward to your participation!

2. NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office 's Spring National Traffic Safety Campaign: Four Key Awareness Points

1. Thoroughly prevent wheel detachment accidents and tire blowouts! Let's perform proper tire inspections!

   The harsh winter is over, and the mild season of spring has arrived.
   As road conditions change, it's time to switch from winter tires to summer tires, but this is also a time when wheel detachment accidents are more likely to occur.
   According to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism ^*1, nearly half of the wheel detachment accidents involving large vehicles in 2024 occurred within one month of tire replacement work.
   If a tire comes off while driving on Expressway, it's not only dangerous as the vehicle loses control, but it could also lead to a serious accident causing harm to others, such as the detached tire hitting other vehicles or workers within construction zones.
   After changing tires and driving a certain distance, please check the tightness of the nuts using a torque wrench and tighten them further if necessary. Also, please check the air pressure of the replaced tires to help prevent wheel detachment accidents and tire blowouts.

   1. "Report on the Occurrence Status and Trend Analysis of Wheel Detachment Accidents Involving Large Vehicles 2024" compiled by the Logistics and Automobile Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, September 2025, by the Study Group on Measures to Prevent Wheel Detachment Accidents Involving Large Vehicles.

   
2. Prevent wrong-way driving accidents! Learn how to prevent and respond to wrong-way driving!
   • Let's eliminate driving the wrong way –Expressway are one-way –
     

   Driving the wrong way is a dangerous act that can lead to tragic consequences such as head-on collisions. Incidents of driving the wrong way occur Expressway throughout Japan at a frequency of approximately once every two days, and they also occur every year in the area under the jurisdiction of our Hokkaido Regional Head Office.
   When a wrong-way driving accident occurs, the rate of fatalities is approximately 38 times higher and the rate of injuries and fatalities is approximately 4 times higher compared to all accidents on Expressway.
   If you see a vehicle driving the wrong way, please report it by calling 110, telling a toll booth or rest stop attendant, or using the emergency phone at a rest stop. If reporting from a mobile phone, please have a passenger make the call. Upon receiving a report, we will immediately announce the presence of a vehicle driving the wrong way on information boards and highway radio.
   If you see or hear information about a vehicle driving the wrong way on Expressway information board or highway radio, do not panic, slow down, and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front. If you spot a vehicle driving the wrong way ahead, drive carefully to avoid a collision. Vehicles driving the wrong way tend to use the overtaking lane, so pay particular attention to this.
   Driving the wrong way is most common near interchanges, toll booths, and service areas/parking areas. To avoid driving the wrong way yourself, be sure to check which direction your destination is in before you depart. If you do accidentally drive the wrong way, do not panic. Pull over to a nearby safe place, and do not stay inside the car. Evacuate to a safe place such as outside the guardrail, and then call 110 or use a nearby emergency phone to report the incident.
   As a measure to prevent wrong-way driving, which can lead to serious accidents, our company has installed warning signs, large arrow road markings, extended rubber poles at main lane merging points, and high-brightness arrow boards. In the future, we also plan to implement physical measures such as installing road-embedded blades.
   (Trends in the causes of wrong-way driving Expressway and the latest countermeasures: Government Public Relations Online URL)

   

   

   

3. Distracted driving is strictly prohibited! Take breaks as needed while driving, and always concentrate on the road ahead!
   Our company has been installing wire ropes as a measure to prevent head-on collisions in provisional two-lane sections of road in Hokkaido, and has completed the installation in earthworks and on small and medium-sized bridges under 50m in length by fiscal year 2021.
   Furthermore, as a countermeasure for long bridges where wire ropes cannot be installed, center pipes and center blocks are being installed on a trial basis in some parts of Hokkaido.
   These measures have significantly reduced the number of accidents involving vehicles swerving into the opposite lane, but on the other hand, there has been an increase in accidents involving contact with wire ropes caused by distracted driving or inattention to the road ahead.
   Using your smartphone or looking at your car's navigation system while driving is strictly prohibited. When traveling at 70 km/h, a vehicle travels approximately 19 meters in just one second. Always look ahead and concentrate on driving while you are on the road!
   Also, it's important to take breaks when driving. If you feel sleepy or tired, take a break at a nearby service area or parking area.

   

   

4. Wear your seatbelt in every seat! Let's ensure everyone wears a seatbelt and uses a child safety seat to protect lives!
   According to the Japan Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (^JIRCA), the fatality rate for those not wearing seat belts in traffic accidents on Expressway is approximately 18 times higher than for those wearing them!
   However, according to a survey conducted by the National Police Agency and JAF in 2025 ^*3, the seatbelt usage rate on Expressway was 99.6% for the driver's seat and 79.9% for the rear seats, indicating that the usage rate in the rear seats is still lower than that in the driver's seat.
   To protect your loved ones and precious lives, please ensure that seat belts are worn in all seats, including the back seats, not just the driver's and passenger's seats, and that child safety seats are used for young children!
   *2 Based on the Japan Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis's "Traffic Statistics, 2023 Edition".
   *3 Based on the "Nationwide Survey on Seatbelt Usage" conducted jointly by the National Police Agency and JAF.

Click here for road information before and during your trip!

1. DraPla
   Click here to collect information on all Expressway.
2. DraTra
   Click here for real-time road information. You can also watch live cameras.
3. NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office Official X (former Twitter) (@e_nexco_kita)
   Distributing traffic closure information and event information.
4. NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office Official LINE
   You can receive road closure information and search for tolls and routes.

   

5. HEARTFUL HIGHWAY ~ Everyone's Manners on Everyone's Highway ~
   We introduce our etiquette characters "Manatee" and "Squid Shark" and manners on Expressway.