Drive safely by changing to winter tires early!
- Winter tire installation rate is still less than 40% in early November! -

PDF version [PDF: 533KB]

As the snowy season approaches, NEXCO EAST Tohoku Regional Head Office (Miyagi Ward, Sendai City) will be informing drivers of the rate of winter tire installation on Expressway in the early winter season, to encourage them to switch to winter tires early and drive safely.
According to a survey conducted in the first week of November 2025, the rate of winter tire installation is still at 38.0%. At the beginning of the season, there tends to be a lot of slip accidents on frozen or snowy roads.
The first snow has begun to be observed on Expressway in the Tohoku region, and winter weather has already arrived, with some areas of the road surface turning into slush.

1. Winter tire installation rate in the six Tohoku prefectures

Reference material-1 [PDF: 199KB]

(Researched by NEXCO EAST Tohoku Regional Head Office)
The second survey is scheduled for early December.

• 『冬道では冬用タイヤで走行』

  ノーマルタイヤで冬道を走行するのは大変危険です。
  初冬期は事故が発生しやすい傾向です。
  早めの冬用タイヤ交換があなたと大切な人を守ります。

  

2. Request from NEXCO EAST Tohoku Regional Head Office

• "Preventing wheels from coming off by checking tires"

  Tires are more likely to come off when it's time to change them.
  Please check that all nuts are properly tightened and refill the air pressure in any replaced tires to help prevent accidents such as wheel slippage and tire bursts.
  In December 2023, an accident occurred on Expressway Hachinohe Expressway in which a worker was killed when a tire came off a large truck and hit him.

  
• Checking the tire grooves

  It is said that winter tires reach the end of their service life sooner than standard tires.
  To drive safely on winter roads, it is time to replace your tires when the tread depth has worn down to about 50% (5mm) from new.
  A simple way to check is to insert a 100 yen coin into the tire groove. If you can see the number "1", then there is about 5mm of tread remaining.

  Reference: Dr. Mammoshi's Guide to Winter Expressway: Preparations and Mindset for Winter Driving

  
• "Driving slowly and safely on winter roads"

  When driving on winter roads at the beginning of the season, you may not yet be familiar with how to drive safely on winter roads.
  We recommend leaving earlier than usual.

  
• "Collect information diligently before and during your trip"
  Reference material-2 [PDF: 209KB]

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

  

3. Dangerous situations that can occur on winter roads

• stack
  ​Normal tires are no match for snow-covered or icy roads, and cars and pedestrians get stuck. Stuck vehicles cause major traffic jams on winter roads and cause traffic chaos.
• Whiteout
  After making sure you have winter tires and other winter gear, be sure to check the weather information and road conditions before heading out to protect yourself from danger.