"Importance of Proper Labor Management, Emergency Stop Safety Measures, and Communication Between Drivers" - Lessons Learned from Large Truck Collision and Large Bus Rear-end Collision Accidents
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) published on July 4, 2025, investigation reports on commercial vehicle accidents involving a large truck collision in Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture (May 16, 2023) and a large bus rear-end collision in Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu City (December 4, 2022), presenting lessons on the importance of proper labor management, emergency stop safety measures, and communication between drivers.
Key Points
Overview and Causes of Large Truck Collision Accident (Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Occurred around 20:11 on May 16, 2023, in the first traffic lane of the Tohoku Expressway
- Large truck collided with a large charter bus stopped due to breakdown and two people (driver and passenger) who were handling the breakdown behind it
- Charter bus driver and two passengers died, large truck driver seriously injured
- Truck driver's attention overly focused on a passenger car to the right rear while overtaking a vehicle ahead, resulting in failure to watch forward
- Fatigue from long working hours affected attention capacity, with driving characteristics of "considerably delayed judgment timing" and "insufficient attention distribution" contributing to the accident
Overview and Causes of Large Bus Rear-end Collision (Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu City)
- Occurred around 5:53 on December 4, 2022, on the New Tomei Expressway
- Large route bus operating between Fukuoka and Tokyo with two-driver crew, carrying 17 passengers in the third lane, rear-ended a large truck in the second traffic lane
- Bus driver and six passengers, and truck driver sustained minor injuries
- Driver developed abdominal pain during operation, stopped at an unplanned parking area for about 21 minutes, causing delays
- Traveling at approximately 120 km/h in a 50 km/h speed limit zone, attempting to make up for lost time, deviated from lane and collided
Management Issues of Operators and Operation Managers
- Truck operator overlooked long working hours violating improvement standard notification and implemented operation plans that accumulated driver fatigue
- Truck operator lacked detailed guidance considering individual driver characteristics
- Bus operator had insufficient guidance and supervision regarding appropriate responses during emergency stops on highways
- Bus operator only included provisions in service regulations without clearly indicating specific response methods for illness
- Bus operator did not correct the normalized practice of speeding to make up for operational delays
Recurrence Prevention Measures (Labor Management and Communication)
- Strictly comply with improvement standard notification and thoroughly create operation plans that do not accumulate driver fatigue
- Build systems to share administrative improvement instructions not only at the receiving office but across all offices
- Maintain close daily communication and strive to understand crew members' health conditions
- Prepare manuals so drivers can respond without hesitation when feeling unwell and ensure understanding from daily practice
- Work on improving workplace communication skills so authority gradients between senior and junior members don't become obstacles in two-driver operations
Specific Improvements in Safe Driving Guidance
- Thoroughly understand the dangers of not watching forward and provide guidance to prevent driving that leads to forward inattention
- Deepen understanding of various dangers during night operations using hazard prediction training methods
- Thoroughly guide on appropriate responses during vehicle breakdowns or emergency stops (setting up warning triangles, etc.)
- Check daily operation records and give instructions to prevent repeated violations such as speeding
- Provide appropriate instructions to drivers not to sacrifice safety to maintain scheduled operations even when sudden delays occur
The article emphasizes that through these accident investigations, proper labor management to prevent driver fatigue, thorough implementation of appropriate emergency response procedures, and establishment of smooth communication systems between drivers and between drivers and managers are essential for ensuring the safety of commercial vehicles.