Cerebral Soup - The Archives
Driving Companions
Basically the service these companies provide is that they drive your car home with you in it, and another car follows behind to take the driver.
The cost is usually 1,200 yen for the first 3 kms and 200 yen for each km after. Most people spend between 2,000 and 3,000 yen to get themselves and their car safely home. The company interviewed on the news program said that on average they have between 15 - 20 customers per night.
Currently there is a big crack down on drunk driving (as there should be). Each year about 30,000 people die in road accidents. Several of these have been attributed to drunk driving. Fines for drunk driving are in the 500,000 yen range now, and the polilce have been setting up more testing stations along roads than ever before. Also there is a poster campaign and many izakayas are now displaying them.
The news program came across two younger men outside of an izakaya who were about to get into their car. They were as pissed as farts. They commented that they wouldn't use the driving companion services because they thought they were a waste of money. Pity they can't see the cost of someone losing a life through their reckless behaviour. I wonder how they feel about the huge fine they landed themselves after that interview.
Now what to do about drivers that are just stupid.......
Posted by mjd-s on September 20, 2006 6:34 PM