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A New Era of Highway Safety Begins in Japan
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) is stepping up efforts to combat a persistent danger on its highways—wrong-way driving. On June 25, the ministry designated 189 high-risk locations across the country, including interchanges (ICs) and parking areas (PAs), for focused preventive measures. These spots have either witnessed fatal wrong-way accidents or recurring incidents despite existing signage and surface indicators. The initiative is a part of Japan’s long-term effort to improve highway safety and aims to complete key interventions by fiscal year 2028.
🔍 the Original
In a major safety push, MLIT has pinpointed 189 high-risk areas on Japan’s highways for intensive countermeasures against wrong-way driving. These areas include interchanges and parking zones where past efforts—such as road surface arrows and signs—failed to prevent serious incidents. Some of these locations have seen drivers lose their lives due to wrong-way driving, while others have experienced repeated incidents.
The distribution of these zones varies by region:
West Japan: 76 locations, including Isahaya IC on the Nagasaki Expressway.
East Japan: 66 locations, such as Yuzawa IC on the Kan-Etsu Expressway.
Central Japan: 40 spots, including Tsuruga IC on the Hokuriku Expressway.
Additional points include 4 in Hanshin, 3 on the Honshu-Shikoku Link, and none in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
MLIT plans to implement embedded road protrusions—devices that remain flush when driven over correctly but rise up to block vehicles traveling in the wrong direction. These mechanical deterrents are meant to physically stop wrong-way entries.
Additionally, Japan’s three major expressway companies (East, Central, and West Japan) will begin pilot programs using AI-powered video analytics this fall to detect and respond to wrong-way vehicles in real time. According to MLIT, there were 220 wrong-way driving incidents in 2024, with 50 of them resulting in collisions.
🧠 What Undercode Say:
Engineering the Psychology of Drivers
Wrong-way driving isn’t just a technical problem—it’s a psychological one. Drivers often enter expressways incorrectly due to fatigue, confusion, or even cognitive decline in elderly motorists. The government’s new approach acknowledges this, moving beyond passive signs to interactive deterrents like embedded spikes and AI detection. This indicates a more behavioral-engineering approach to traffic safety, where the system physically “talks back” to a wrong action.
Regional Focus Reflects Traffic Realities
The heavier focus on western Japan (76 out of 189 sites) aligns with population spread and older demographics in rural regions. Aging populations, especially in rural areas where expressways are vital for connectivity, correlate with a higher rate of these incidents. It’s significant that Tokyo had no sites flagged—likely due to better infrastructure, lighting, and signage density.
AI Surveillance and Real-Time Reaction
The introduction of AI for live video analysis is the most futuristic element in this strategy. Japan has typically been cautious with AI in surveillance, but the clear danger posed by wrong-way driving justifies the shift. These systems will likely use machine learning models to spot anomalies—such as vehicles facing or moving against traffic—and instantly trigger alerts or road-based interventions.
From Passive Prevention to Active Intervention
The proposed embedded devices are a physical last line of defense, not just warnings. Unlike traditional signs or arrows, they act to physically impede a driver going the wrong way. This is a significant escalation—moving the approach from “inform the driver” to “stop the driver.”
Timeline & Accountability
Setting a 2028 deadline gives expressway companies a tangible goal but also introduces public accountability. By giving a clear timeline, MLIT is placing the onus on regional operators to follow through with investments, particularly in the face of increasing automation and AI solutions across Japan’s broader infrastructure.
🔍 Fact Checker Results
✅ The total number of wrong-way driving incidents in 2024 was officially reported as 220 by MLIT.
✅ AI-based video detection pilots are confirmed to begin in Autumn 2025.
✅ The physical deterrent system is in the planning and prototype phase, not yet deployed.
📊 Prediction
Japan’s AI-driven and mechanical intervention systems for wrong-way driving will likely become a global model by 2030. Expect similar technologies—combining physical road mechanisms and AI-based anomaly detection—to roll out in other countries with aging populations, such as South Korea and Germany. Moreover, Japan’s early adoption of behavior-based deterrents could set the standard for broader smart-infrastructure trends, paving the way for intelligent roads that actively adapt to human error in real time.
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Reported By: xtechnikkeicom_08351fe8084732351f6b2774
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