Police to raise speed limit on trial basis at expressway from Nov.

September 28, 2017

TOKYO- Japan's National Police Agency said Thursday that it will raise the speed limit in a section of the Shin Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, from November on a trial basis.

The speed limit will be raised from 100 kilometers per hour to 110 kph, effective 10 a.m. on Nov. 1 (1 a.m. GMT), for both eastbound and westbound lanes in the 50.5-kilometer section between the Shin-Shizuoka and Mori-Kakegawa interchanges, according to the NPA.

Large trucks and trailer trucks will be excluded from the deregulation, with their speed limit unchanged at 80 kph.

In the trial, expected to last for at least one year, the NPA will monitor seasonal patterns of accidents, including their frequency, and actual vehicle speeds.

The NPA will use the survey results to consider whether to apply the higher speed limit to other sections of the Shin Tomei Expressway and other expressways in the country, as well as whether the speed limit should be raised further to 120 kph, officials said.

With the higher speed limit involving a greater risk of serious accidents, the agency will also make efforts to raise the public awareness of the new speed limit, step up patrol activities and strengthen crackdowns on drivers who exceed the speed limit or fail to keep a safe inter-vehicle distance, according to the officials.

In October last year, the NPA decided to carry out trials of the higher speed limit in the Shin Tomei Expressway section, as well as between the Hanamaki-Minami and Morioka-Minami interchanges on the Tohoku Expressway, following advice from experts.

A trial is set to begin in the Tohoku Expressway section in the northeastern prefecture of Iwate as soon as preparations are made. Jiji Press