Japanese city invites drunk drivers to drive

Chikushino City, Fukuoka Prefecture, is implementing a program that allows drivers to drink alcohol to experience the dangers of drunk driving.

Under this initiative, police and driving instructors in Chikushino City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, invite drivers to drink just enough alcohol to "exceed the permitted limit" before getting in the car.

They will then drive the car through zigzags, S-curves and tight turns on the driving course within the driving school grounds, for the instructor to assess the safety of the trip.

The initiative was launched on August 21, the 17th anniversary of a drunken driver accident that killed three children in Chikushino City. The aim is to give drivers first-hand experience of what it feels like to be drunk behind the wheel and how dangerous it can be.

Mainichi reporters Hyelim Ha and Rokuhei Sato volunteered to take part in the experiment. Ha was the driver, while her colleague Sato sat next to her, playing the role of a sober passenger.

Mainichi reporter Hyelim Ha participates in an experience at a driving school in Chikushino city, Fukuoka prefecture, Japan, on August 21.

About an hour after reporter Ha drank a 350 ml can of beer, a glass of plum wine and a glass of shochu mixed with water, her alcohol concentration was 0.3 mg/l of breath, double the allowable threshold of 0.15 mg.

Despite his cold hands, increased heart rate and flushed face, Ha, 26, still felt he could drive. This was also the testimony of the driver who caused the tragic accident that killed three children in 2006.

But while driving, Ha kept accelerating and decelerating unreasonably on the straight road, causing his colleague Sato sitting next to him to constantly sway. Ha tried to drive through the zigzag road and was stopped by the vice principal of the driving school, Shojiro Kubota, just before entering the S-curve.

To Ha's surprise, Mr. Kubota said that she had entered the curve at high speed under the influence of alcohol and at one point swerved into the opposite lane due to oversteering.

"Although drinking alcohol impairs cognitive skills, judgment and vehicle control, drivers still think they are driving safely. That is the danger of drinking and driving," said Mr. Kubota.

Traffic in Fukuoshima Prefecture, Japan, January 2022.

The National Police Agency of Japan said that many drivers who believe they can drive normally after drinking alcohol tend to be complacent and repeat violations. It also cited data showing that the risk of fatal accidents caused by drunk driving is seven times higher than when the driver is sober.

"The purpose of the program is to allow drivers to experience the difference for themselves and understand the dangers of this behavior," said police spokesman Chikushino.

Japan's road traffic law stipulates that the alcohol concentration in the breath of a driver must be below 0.15 mg/liter of breath. Drivers with an alcohol concentration exceeding the threshold but below 0.25 mg/liter will be subject to an administrative fine and their driver's license will be revoked for 90 days. Those who violate the 0.25 mg/liter limit will have their license revoked for two years.

In 2022, of nearly 1,400 people arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), Fukuoka police found 81% of cases had alcohol levels exceeding 0.25 mg/l.

In the first seven months of the year, 672 of the 883 people suspected of driving under the influence were drivers with high blood alcohol levels, showing that the situation is getting more complicated.

(According to VnExpress, September 30)

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