“It ’s not scary if everyone crosses the red light.” Repeated transport between ABs 29 August 16:35

“You have no choice but to pick up your illegal behavior or go out of business.” A sad voice of a driving agent who complained of a plight. Driving agency that many people use after drinking alcohol. It is said that they are forced into a difficult situation because they follow the rules. Why. When proceeding with the interview, an illegal act called “Transport between ABs” was repeated. (Fukushima Broadcasting Station reporter Shiouma)

Illegal acts repeated in downtown

What is happening at all? In order to clarify the actual situation, in the middle of June, I started interviewing in the downtown area of ​​Fukushima city.

On Wednesday night, there were only a few people who used driving agency, but I was able to quickly find the offense that was the problem. A white hat agent opened the back seat door of the car as he looked carefully at the road lined with substitute vehicles. Then a man in a suit walked and approached the driver's car without hesitation, and then the car ran away. I witnessed three such acts in about two and a half hours after interviewing.

Customers should not ride in the agency's car!

Driving agency is a service that drives a car and sends it to your home on behalf of a driver who drank alcohol. Proxy registration began in 2002 to eradicate drunk driving. According to the National Police Agency, more than 8,600 contractors have been certified by the Public Safety Commission last year.

If you are a driver, you must sit in your car seat. You are not allowed to ride in the agency's car. For example, five people go to a tavern in a car and ask for a substitute. A person who cannot drive in the customer's car due to driving by the dealer cannot ride in the agency's car.

Rampant "transport between AB"

But now illegal acts are repeated. This is called “AB transport”. It is prohibited by law in the downtown area where customers get on the agent's car and move to the parking lot where their car is parked. “Transport between ABs” is called “A point” for restaurants in the agency industry. B point where the customer stops the car, such as a parking lot. This is because a destination such as home is called a C point.

Originally, it is a legitimate service to drive the customer's car between BCs and receive payment. If you follow the rules, customers must walk from the restaurant at point A to the parking at point B. “Transport between ABs” is also called a “taxi-like act” because the agent puts the passenger in his car like a taxi.

There are many cases where traders carry out “transport between ABs” in order to increase sales by sending cars from restaurants to parking lots free of charge. Companies that do this as a violation of the Road Transport Law will be imprisoned for up to 3 years or fined up to 3 million yen.

To earn immediate income ...

According to a survey conducted by three associations in Fukushima Prefecture in Fukushima, Koriyama, and Iwaki Prefecture from January to March last year, an association made by a driving agency contractor found that there were 482 "transportations between AB". That is.

In Fukushima Prefecture, a business style is spreading as a matter of course, where the agent stops the car near the restaurant in the downtown area, not near the parking lot, and waits for the drinker to call out. It's called.

What is in the background? “There are many traders who transport between AB to earn immediate income. I don't feel close to administrative sanctions.” However, it is in a situation where it is not afraid if all of the red lights cross over.

How far can you dispose of ...

What do you think of Fukushima Prefecture, which is in a position to lead the industry? When interviewed by the person in charge of the Living Environment Division, Living Environment Department, it is said that administrative sanctions such as business suspension due to “Transport between ABs” have never been done.

The person in charge explains that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism does not provide specific standards for administrative sanctions, such as the number and duration of illegal activities, and that it does not know how far to proceed. The prefecture regularly conducts street surveys, but the fact is that it is not an effective method.

I cannot stop because the customer leaves

What do you think of the agency that repeats transportation between AB? I tried to make a phone call to a company I witnessed in the downtown area of ​​Fukushima City, but since there was no contact information on the Internet, I decided to visit the same place as the previous day and hit it directly.

The merchant then admitted “Transportation between ABs” and reiterated the claim that “it is no problem because it is free of charge. “Transport between ABs” has been carried out as usual so far, and there is a possibility that customers will leave when suddenly quitting.

Some customers who seek illegal activities

On the other hand, it has become clear that there are problems not only with traders but also on the user side during the interview. When I talked to multiple vendors, many customers asked me to “between AB”. Some of them were yelled at refusing "Transport between ABs" and were told not to use it again.

“The driver ’s car is for the rider to ride, so if a customer gets in the car and an accident occurs, insurance may not be applied and the user may be disadvantaged. As the number of agents that try to attract customers in violation increases, the number of agents who are seriously protecting safety decreases, and as a result, the safety awareness of the industry as a whole decreases and the risk of accidents increases I think that if the customer says that he will not get in the driving agency's car, the response on the part of the dealer will be improved. "(National Driving Agency, Munakata Misa Fukushima Branch Manager)

When interviewing in Fukushima City, some users told themselves that they could not ride on behalf of their own cars, and they were seen walking to the parking lot. We must understand and follow the correct rules. With that in mind, I think the soundness of the driving agency industry will progress.