4 years after the Karuizawa bus accident How far is safety measures at 5:13 on January 15
It has been four years in 15 days since a bus accident on a ski tour in Karuizawa Town, Nagano Prefecture, killed 15 people, including university students. At the scene of the accident, mourners will be mourned, and stakeholders will visit flowers in hopes of preventing the recurrence of the accident.
Four years ago, in the early morning of January 15, 2016, a bus on a ski tour fell over the center line on the roadside in Karuizawa-machi, Nagano Prefecture, killing 15 people, including university students, and injuring 26 people.
On the 15th, four years after the accident, officials will visit the memorial memorial near the accident site for flowers.
In this accident, the president of the company that operated the bus and the former employee in charge of operation management could predict that a serious accident could occur, but he neglected to give guidance to drivers unfamiliar with driving large buses In the meantime, documents were sent for suspicion of negligence, death, or injury, and the investigation is still ongoing to determine whether the Nagano District Public Prosecutor's Office is prosecuting.
In response to the accident, the audit system for bus companies was strengthened and penalties became stricter, but the number of personnel conducting audits and patrols remained insufficient.
In addition, the survivors of the accident continue to request the state to strengthen measures, including not only the audit system but also the licensing system.
While mourning the victims, they are asked again how to keep the bus safe.
Indictment or ongoing investigation
The company in Tokyo, which operated the bus, `` ESP '', did not make a roll call before departure this sunrise, did not create a ledger that recorded the health status of the driver who died, etc. , We found many violations of laws related to operation.
Police found that three years ago, in June, three years ago, Misaki Takahashi, president of IESP (58), and Tsuyoshi Arai, 51, who had been in charge of operation management, could have a serious accident. However, he neglected to provide guidance to the driver, and sent documents to him for suspicion of negligence.
And prosecutors are still investigating four years after the accident.
Some bereaved families have requested that the president and former employees be prosecuted, saying that responsibility must be clarified to prevent recurrence.
Bus safety measures progress, but instructors are scarce
Following the bus accident in Karuizawa, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has been promoting bus safety measures.
Among them, the audit system for bus companies was strengthened, and business licenses of chartered bus companies were renewed every five years. If safety measures were inadequate, the license was revoked, and there was a serious violation in unannounced bus audits. If found, measures are taken to stop the operation immediately.
In addition, in order to eliminate bus companies with insufficient safety measures, in March of last year, we opened a website where users can search for information on past accidents and administrative sanctions of bus companies.
In addition, since the accident in Karuizawa-machi is likely to be caused by acceleration on downhill slopes, we have decided to subsidize a part of the costs from the next fiscal year to companies that introduce speed control devices.
On the other hand, once a year of patrols and audits of all sales offices, the required number of instructors could not be secured, and last year's implementation was about 3,600 locations, which is almost 70% of the total.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and others have gradually increased the number of instructors, and have decided to make a thorough patrol once a year at all bus sales offices from the fiscal year 1991.
In addition, survivors of the accident continue to work on strengthening measures, urging the country to establish a system in which drivers with inexperienced driving skills cannot renew their licenses.
Survivors: victims have no end
In the four years since the accident, the mother of a deceased college student, Kiteru Nishihara (21 at the time) said, "It seems like the accident happened and I still have a bad dream. In the meantime, the criminal process of the bus company has not changed during this time, but is the end of the paper inspection? The perpetrator can live as it is, but the victim is endless. We sincerely hope that no devastating accidents will result in the loss of precious life.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is committed to creating a safe society where everyone can spend time with security and audits. I want you to do that. "