ข่าว: สำนักงานตำรวจแห่งชาติ (警察庁 Keisatsu-chō; National Police Agency, NPA) ระบุว่า ผลการศึกษา อุบัติเหตุบนทางหลวง ช่วง 5 ปี (ค.ศ. 2009-2013 หรือ พ.ศ. 2552-2556) พบว่า
(1) จำนวนคนตายจากอุบัติเหตุบนทางหลวงจำแนกตามระยะทางการเดินทางราวร้อยละ 50 เกิดขึ้นในระยะทางน้อยกว่า 100 กิโลเมตร หรือ ภายในเวลา 1 ชั่วโมงแรกของการเดินทางเท่านั้น และ
(2) ในปี ค.ศ.2013 (หรือ พ.ศ. 2556) ราว 1 ใน 3 ของจำนวนคนตายดังกล่าวมีสาเหตุสำคัญจากการชนท้าย (rear-end collision)
(Mainichi Japan. November 20, 2014.
http://bit.ly/1F8wVWH)
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Half of fatal highway accidents occur in first 100 km: NPA
Around half of fatal highway accidents occur in the first 100 kilometers of travel, according to analysis by the National Police Agency (NPA).
The NPA attributes driver inattention as the main reason for fatal accidents, and is calling for drivers to take enough rest at service areas even when drive times are not long.
The NPA looked at fatal highway accidents for the five years ending with 2013 and divided them by distance traveled. Around 50 percent occurred at less than 100 kilometers, or less than an hour. Next was the distance between 100 and 200 kilometers, at around 18 percent, followed by 200 to 300 kilometers at around 9 percent. The tendency of more accidents at shorter distances held for both passenger vehicles and trucks. The most common type of accident was rear-end collisions, which accounted for around 30 percent of fatal highway accidents in 2013.
The average distance traveled by highway users is around 45 kilometers, which means there is a statistical bias toward short-distance accidents, but longer times on the road means more fatigued drivers, which should push the numbers the other way.
An NPA member involved with the analysis said, "It was an unexpected result, with more accidents than anticipated at short distances. It is possible that even if drivers are aware after first getting on a highway, the lack of intersections and traffic signals makes them quickly become inattentive."
While fatal traffic accidents are overall on the decline, 2013 saw the fourth-straight year of increase for highways. Fatal expressway accidents had been on the decrease up until 2009, when there were 162 of them, killing 179 people, but there were 208 fatal accidents killing 227 people in 2013. Increased traffic on highways due to cheaper tolls and the increasing number of delivery trucks in line with the spread of Internet shopping are thought to be behind the rise in fatal accidents there.
November 20, 2014(Mainichi Japan)
