Road wary:When it comes to highways, 2 lanes may cost less than.

(From International Herald Tribune (Herald Asahi))

The Asahi Shimbun Tight budgets and road safety may be on a collision course that is already costing the nation dearly in human lives

With 1,700 kilometers of two-lane highways criss-crossing the country that are not divided by medians, the risk of head-on collision is high

Eleven lives were lost in two crashes in Fukushima and Gifu prefectures on July 27. Both accidents were on so-called provisional lanes, which are often temporary and slated to be expanded to four-lane highways

Despite the hazard, there is no quick fix for what amounts to nearly 20 percent of the nation's highways

``A change in plans from the drawing board is necessary to ensure vehicles will not spin out onto the oncoming lane,'' said Takeshi Kondo, president of Japan Highway …