Drive safely on winter roads with winter tires!
Even though winter is just around the corner, there are still people who use normal tires!

PDF version [PDF: 446KB]

NEXCO EAST Tohoku Regional Head Office (Miyagino-ku, Sendai City) has conducted a survey on the installation rate of winter tires at Expressway in order to encourage drivers to change to winter tires and drive safely as the winter season is approaching.
2024 According to the survey conducted on Monday, December 2, the installation rate of winter tires was 89%, which is still less than 100% in some areas. In Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, in particular, the winter tire installation rate is in the 80% range, with approximately 20% of customers driving with normal tires. Some sections of Expressway in the Tohoku region have already experienced snowfall accompanied by snow accumulations. Changing to winter tires before the snowfall season will protect you and your loved ones.

1. winter tire installation rate in 6 prefectures in Tohoku [Date of survey: 2024 Monday, December 2

Reference Material-1 (Trends in the installation rate in 2022) [PDF: 248KB]

Prefecture name	First week of December (December 2)	Survey location
Aomori Prefecture	100％	E4 Tohoku Expressway, E46 Akita Road, etc. Service Area Parking Area
Iwate Prefecture	92％
Akita	92％
Miyagi Prefecture	84％
Yamagata Prefecture	98％
Fukushima Prefecture	81％
Tohoku 6 prefectures	89％

2. Request from NEXCO EAST Tohoku Regional Head Office

• "Drive with winter tires on winter roads"
  Driving on snowy roads with normal tires is extremely dangerous. Accidents are more likely to occur in the early winter.
  Switching to winter tires early will protect you and your loved ones.
• "Preventing wheel slippage by checking tires"
  Tires are more likely to come off when it's time to change them.
  If a tire comes off while driving on Expressway, it can pose a danger not only to the vehicle itself, but also to other vehicles. If the tire comes off and flies into a construction zone with great force, it can also pose a danger to workers within the zone.
  Please check that the nuts are not loose and refill the air pressure in the replaced tires to help prevent wheel-off accidents and tire bursts.
• "Driving slowly and safely on snowy roads"
  When driving on snowy roads at the beginning of the season, you may not yet be familiar with how to drive safely on snowy roads.
  Even if you are using winter tires, please remain vigilant, keep a safe distance from other vehicles, drive slowly and safely, and avoid sudden steering or braking.
• "Collect information diligently before and during your trip"
  

  Reference material-2 [PDF: 194KB]

  Weather conditions can change suddenly on winter Expressway, so please be sure to check road and weather information frequently both before and during your trip.