Characteristics of wrong‐way driving on motorways in Japan

Abstract

Characteristics of wrong‐way incidents and crashes that occurred on the entire motorway network in Japan are analysed in this study with an emphasis on wrong‐way crashes. Nearly 40% of vehicles in wrong‐way crashes took U‐turns on the main carriageway, followed by 20% entering the wrong way at interchanges after passing the tollgate, 18% before passing the tollgate and 12% at rest areas. Wrong entries and suspected dementia were the two main contributing factors for wrong‐way crashes, each accounting for nearly 30% of the total number of wrong‐way crashes, followed by each 8–10% for confusion with ordinary road, taking U‐turns on the main carriageway and driving under the influence of alcohol. Most wrong‐way crashes because of wrong entries were caused by older drivers over the age of 60 (61%) and young drivers (22%) and most of those because of confusion with ordinary road were also caused by older drivers (86%). All the wrong‐way crashes caused by suspected dementia were by older drivers over the age of 65 and occurred between 4–10 p.m. Finally some applications of recent ITS technologies to prevent wrong‐way driving that have been implemented recently on motorways in Japan are briefly introduced.