Drive safely by changing to winter tires early!
~About 10% of customers still don't have winter tires!~

PDF version [PDF: 568KB]

As we approach the full-scale snowfall season, NEXCO EAST Tohoku Regional Head Office (Miyagi Ward, Sendai City) will be informing drivers of the rate of winter tire installation on Expressway, encouraging them to switch to winter tires early and drive safely.
According to a survey conducted in the first week of December 2025, the rate of winter tire installation was 91.4%.
Heavy snowfall has been observed on Expressway in the Tohoku region, and snow has accumulated on some roads, making it extremely dangerous to drive on standard tires! Normal driving is not permitted on snowy and icy winter roads. Switch your tires and your mind to winter mode.

1. Winter tire installation rate in the six Tohoku prefectures

Reference material-1 [PDF: 198KB]

Prefecture name	1st week of December (December 1st ~4 days)	Survey location
Aomori Prefecture	100％	E4 Tohoku Expressway, E6 Joban Expressway etc. Service Area Parking Area
Iwate Prefecture	97.1％
Akita	100％
Miyagi Prefecture	82.1％
Yamagata Prefecture	96.6％
Fukushima Prefecture	90.3％
Tohoku 6 prefectures	91.4％

(Researched by NEXCO EAST Tohoku Regional Head Office)
This will be the final survey for fiscal year 2025.

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: 215KB]

  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.