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NEXCO EAST Niigata Regional Head Office (Chuo Ward, Niigata City) conducted its second winter tire installation rate survey of this winter at service areas (SA) and parking areas (PA) on Expressway in Niigata Prefecture and elsewhere on Monday, November 17th and Tuesday, November 18th, 2025. The results showed that the overall rate of vehicles not equipped with winter tires was 29% (38% for compact cars and 13% for large vehicles).
The survey is being conducted with the aim of encouraging early switching to winter tires and raising awareness of safe driving on snowy roads.
The first snowfall was recorded on Expressway in Niigata Prefecture on Tuesday, November 18th. If you have not yet installed winter tires, please change to winter tires and carry chains with you. Please check the latest road information when using Expressway.

1. 1. Outline of winter tire installation rate survey

Survey method

• Investigators visually check the tire types of vehicles parked at the survey site.
• 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, Yoneyama SA,
E18 Joshinetsu Expressway Myoko Service Area

• 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 per survey)

3. Three points for driving safely Expressway in winter

1. Winter equipment (winter tires and chains)
   • Be sure to use winter tires when driving on snowy roads.
   • 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 (snow road live camera).

4. Getting stuck in snow

• It is easier to get stuck when there is snow.

  

  
• The official NEXCO EAST YouTube channel explains the mechanism behind getting stuck and how to prevent it. Please take a look for reference for safe driving.
  Reference video: "How to avoid getting stuck? Explaining how it happens"
  YouTube "E-NEXCO driveplaza" QR code
  

• “ 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 us to the LINE account "NEXCO EAST" as a friend.
  Search ID → @e-nexco
  NEXCO EAST is providing winter road information via LINE throughout its jurisdiction. We will be sending out information useful for driving on winter roads, such as road closure forecasts and road images, so please transfer your friend registration from the QR code or register as a new user.
  "NEXCO EAST" LINE friend registration two-dimensional code