You can tell whether there is a construction site or not even without a traffic controller.
On December 11, 2025, a tragic accident occurred in Okayama Prefecture, where a traffic controller directing traffic at a construction site was hit by a large truck and killed. Accidents involving traffic controllers at construction sites, such as the Okayama case, occasionally occur where they are hit by passing vehicles or construction vehicles. If we include cases that do not receive much media coverage and only result in injuries, the number is likely to be quite large.
A common sight in the work of traffic controllers is standing at the very front of a construction or work site on the road, waving a carrot (a glowing red guide stick). Their role is likely to be to encourage passing vehicles to change lanes, but here’s something drivers should think about. Is it possible that you only realize there’s a construction site when you see a traffic controller? Construction sites are surrounded by pylons and yellow and black fences, making them very visible, so anyone with the physical ability to obtain a driver’s license and driving normally should be able to notice their presence well in advance.
The deployment of traffic controllers is mandated by ordinance
Therefore, accidents like crashing into construction sites do not occur because of poor traffic control, but because the driver is not looking ahead at all, whether it be because they are dozing off, using their smartphone, or because of a sudden illness, and we don’t know the reason. So even if there are traffic controllers, accidents can happen. And in those cases, the first to suffer are the traffic controllers who are closest to the scene.
You might think that it would be better not to have traffic controllers, but that is not currently the case. In the case of construction work that has obtained a road use permit, local government ordinances require the employment of traffic controllers. I believe that these ordinances should be revised to reflect reality.
They should be deployed where necessary. Flexibility is key
This is not to say that all traffic controllers are unnecessary. Traffic controllers are necessary for construction work that requires traffic to stop on one side and alternate between opposite directions. Traffic controllers may also be a good idea for construction work that affects pedestrians. The point is, shouldn’t we be able to respond flexibly to the construction situation and decide whether traffic controllers are really necessary? (This may sound harsh, but) if we have traffic controllers who don’t matter whether they’re there or not, and end up making the damage from an accident worse, then that would be putting the cart before the horse.
Public works costs are funded by taxes
Some say that traffic controllers create jobs. That may be true, but surely it would be better to avoid jobs that require people to stand in the scorching heat of midsummer or the bitter cold of midwinter. Eliminating the need for traffic controllers would lead to reduced construction costs. Security companies that dispatch traffic controllers may be opposed, but most road construction work is public work, and the source of funding is our tax money.
However, Japan is not good at changing decisions once they have been made, and loves to show off its safety measures, so this situation is unlikely to change anytime soon. However, if things continue as they are, there is no doubt that new victims will be claimed.
Roadside assistance is almost always accompanied by roadside guides. I think we should reconsider whether they are really necessary. (The photo is not related to the content of this article.)
