Don't Speed in Roadworks!

As you will be aware the Highways Agency looks after the UK motorways and major trunk roads. With an ever increasing number of cars and heavy goods vehicles using our roads every year, it's no surprise that they do eventually wear out and need repair.

These days there are few longer journeys that can be taken without at some point encountering roadworks, this can of course be very frustrating if the traffic ques are long and your running late. But spare a thought for our road workers they are often out on busy roads in all sorts of conditions and often at night. To protect them and keep you safe they have high-visibility signs to let you know what to expect, such as; how far until the road works and what you have to do when you get there. If you see any of these signs, stay alert and be prepared for different driving conditions ahead.

Everyone is entitled to a safe workplace. The men and women who work on our roads often next to fast moving traffic risk death and injury on a daily basis and need our cooperation. Respect their space!

No workers in view?

For quick overnight works you may at times not see anyone working within the cones. There may be a few reasons for this. It can take up to several hours to position cones before it is safe for road workers to start their job. On longer-term road works, activities may be taking place out of sight, working underneath the road or maybe on bridge supports; concrete could be setting or workers may have moved to a different section.

Some Grim Facts

Across England the latest figures show that in one year, 6 road workers were killed and 29 seriously injured in road works on our roads as a result of motor vehicle crashes. All these deaths and injuries could be avoided. Lack of attention, falling asleep at the wheel, speeding and aggressive driving have all contributed to crashes in road works. Remember that these workers are just doing their job trying to keep the roads open for us - so give them a thought!

Consider your actions

Crashing in road works can result in increased delays, damage to your vehicle, increased insurance costs, points on your license, disqualification, jail sentences, trauma for your family and road workers ' families and injury or even death.