A safe and secure Expressway at all times.
What is the job of a road patrol car, also known as a "yellow patrol car"?
The yellow patrol cars that travel on Expressway, affectionately known as "yellow patrols," are road patrol vehicles. If you combine the annual mileage of all the yellow patrols under the jurisdiction of NEXCO EAST, it comes to a staggering 24 million km! That's enough distance to travel from the Earth to the Moon 60 times. That means they travel around the Earth one and a half times every day.
This time, we'll take a closer look at the activities of the "yellow patrol cars" that "drive and protect" Expressway 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, driving production and logistics on Expressway. We spoke with Deputy Director Nemoto and Officer Komatsu of NEXCO-Patrol Kantou Co., Ltd. Mito Office.
He joined the company in November 2000. He became the Deputy Director of the Mito Plant in October 2023, and will serve as the Director of the Hitachi Plant from April 2026.
Joined the company in December 2020. Assigned to the Mito office, where I am responsible for traffic management patrol duties.
2,000 nails and a prefabricated hut? Yellow patrol cars guarding Expressway encounter fallen objects.
Today, I'd like to delve deeper into the "yellow patrol cars" that Expressway users have probably seen at least once. First, could you tell me what kind of work they do?
What is that vehicle equipped with?
Basically, the vehicle is equipped with the necessary equipment for traffic control. These are called "Standard equipment," and they include warning flags for traffic control, traffic cones and flares, brushes for removing fallen objects, asphalt and shovels for repairing potholes, etc., so that we are prepared for anything that may happen during patrols.
In addition to Standard equipment, the equipment installed may vary from region to region. In the case of the Mito plant, because there is a nuclear power plant in Tokai Village, protective suits are installed as a precaution.
The equipment used varies depending on the region.
It's meaningless if the equipment isn't usable when needed, not just simply installed. We conduct training on putting on and taking off protective suits once a year.
This training is essential for ensuring safety on Expressway. By the way, do you two ever ride together in the yellow patrol car during road patrols?
Yes, we sometimes ride together. Yellow patrol cars are generally driven by pairs, but it's not always the same pair. We work in shifts, so my partner changes from day to day.
They're not in fixed pairs, are they? How are their roles divided?
When fallen objects or obstacles are discovered, each person has a designated role. If the car is stopped on the shoulder, the person in the passenger seat gets out first to wave a warning flag to direct oncoming traffic, while the person in the driver's seat acts as the worker, handling the fallen object. If the car is stopped in the passing lane, the roles are reversed.
It depends on the situation on site, doesn't it? What kinds of fallen objects do you often see during road patrols?
Most of the debris consists of plastic, vinyl, and cloth, followed by tire fragments from blowouts, and ladders and tools that were on the back of trucks. There are also nails and screws, which are small but very dangerous fallen objects.
Nails, you say?
Even a single nail is dangerous, but there have been cases where an entire box fell, scattering 1,000 to 2,000 nails.
If they find them during patrol, one person has to direct traffic while the other collects all the nails, which takes quite a bit of time.
Conversely, what's the most surprising and unusual falling object you've ever seen?
There was that time when a prefabricated shed had fallen down, right?
Yes, we found one. A prefabricated building had fallen right onto the side of the road and was stuck in place, so we had to restrict traffic as it was a road obstruction, but it was really surprising. There was no way we could move it on our own, so we had no choice but to wait for the owner to come back and retrieve it.
It must have been quite large, enough to close off lanes... I sometimes hear news about fallen objects on the radio traffic reports, and when I imagine the team members working behind the scenes to deal with it, I'm filled with gratitude.
We are pleased to hear you say that. Nowadays, our work is evolving every day thanks to technological advancements, such as the introduction of a system that uses AI image detection to detect cars entering restricted areas while we are handling traffic accidents and sounds a loud siren.
With the introduction of the traffic patrol record system "PatReco," patrol records can now be easily created on tablets, allowing for timely and efficient communication with the control center. Back when Deputy Director Nemoto was in charge, they were all handwritten, right?
That's right. Back then, we used to write all the reports by hand.
Considering how often reports are written, the difference between handwritten reports and tablet-based reports has significantly improved work efficiency.
There were times when I would write as many as 10 pages at a time, so being able to complete everything on my smartphone has been incredibly convenient.
What's essential for a yellow patrol officer is the resilience to hone their skills from scratch and the ability to remain calm.
Could you tell us about a moment when you both felt a sense of accomplishment while working?
As team members, we have to rush to the scene as quickly as possible when a traffic accident occurs. When we've finished dealing with the situation safely and returned to the office with our partner, we feel more relief than a sense of accomplishment.
For me too, there are more moments of relief than a sense of accomplishment. Just being able to complete road patrols safely without any accidents makes me happy, thinking, "It's good that nothing happened."
That's wonderful. What kind of difficulties have you two faced?
The accident response training I underwent after joining the company was challenging. At the training facility, we practiced handling accidents simulating Expressway accident scenes, but even though it was training, everything was a completely new experience. I had no idea what to do or how to proceed when an accident actually occurred. The most difficult part was repeatedly going through the training and learning the procedures from scratch.
Certainly, most people rarely encounter accident scenes in their lives, so there are many things they don't know. My previous job was as a police officer, so I had some experience with accident response training, but the most difficult thing was driving on Expressway. When I was a police officer, I never drove on Expressway as part of my duties, and to be honest, I was scared of driving until I got used to it.
What kind of mindset should a yellow patrol officer have? Also, what kind of person is best suited for the job?
Since they sometimes have to cross Expressway, perhaps agility is important? I think being a yellow patrol officer is a job that is built up through training and experience. More than innate agility, I think it's suited to people who have the ability to hone their skills from scratch.
Expressway are places where cars are always traveling at high speeds, so it's important not to panic. Also, you'll be dealing with injured people and those in need of help. I try to take a deep breath before responding to anything so that I don't become an obstacle myself. People who can act calmly and without panicking are probably well-suited to being a team member.
Lastly, could you tell us what motivates you both?
I'd like to say something cool, but... I guess it's enjoying my hobbies to the fullest? This job allows me to maintain a good work-life balance, so my motivation comes from thinking, "I'll work hard and enjoy my hobbies!"
What hobbies are your driving force?
I have a lot of hobbies, but lately it's been motorcycles and cameras. I used to like surfing too, but I got worried about getting sunburned...
Are you talking about me, playing soccer on my days off?
No, that's not it (laughs). Please also tell me what motivates Deputy Director Nemoto!
My driving force is my family.
That's wonderful!
We'd get in trouble if we didn't earn money (laughs). Also, our job absolutely cannot be done alone. My partner, who works with me in the yellow patrol car, is also very important, so we want to continue to deliver safety and security by watching over Expressway together.
summary
On Expressway, even a single piece of debris can lead to a major accident, potentially impacting production and logistics. It's clear that the yellow patrol cars, which operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, are an indispensable presence in ensuring safe and secure Expressway at all times.
If you see a yellow patrol car on Expressway, I hope you'll remember the officers who worked for us.
The work of yellow patrol cars can be broadly divided into three categories: "road patrol," "collection of fallen objects," and "handling accidents and broken-down vehicles." They are engaged in their daily duties to ensure that the flow of Expressway is not interrupted and that they can be used safely and securely.