A worrying trend of drivers ignoring roadwork closures to skip queues is putting lives at risk in the Midlands, according to new analysis from National Highways.
- 74 drivers deliberately entered closed-off roadwork areas in the Midlands between January and July this year, putting lives at risk.
- 58% of incursions recorded in the Midlands involved drivers trying to avoid queues, closures or diversions.
- Unsafe driver behaviour has led to full motorway closures and significant delays for road users.
There is growing concern across the road transport sector about incursions, the name given to incidents where a vehicle enters a closed-off section of roadworks, putting roadworkers in danger.
At 58%, the figure is above the national average of 53%.
National Highways data shows that 58% of incursions recorded in the Midlands between January and July this year involved drivers trying to avoid queues, closures or diversions.
Across all regions in England, a total of 1,633 incursions were recorded on England’s motorways and major A-roads last year. While the majority were linked to drivers deliberately entering restricted roadwork areas to gain a benefit, other incidents involved factors such as breakdowns or unintentional incursions.
In some cases, these incidents are leading to roads being completely closed to avoid putting workers in danger. This is adding time to journeys.
Recently, following a series of particularly close calls, a section of the M1 in Hertfordshire was closed completely to keep workers safe, which meant drivers had to take a 10-mile diversion.
Melanie Clarke OBE, Director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing at National Highways, said: “These figures show a worrying number of drivers wilfully ignoring roadworks to save time, putting roadworkers and other people at risk.
“Our roadworkers have the right to carry out repairs and improvements safely and we ask all drivers to follow signed routes and never enter restricted areas.”
Sinead Ryan, a Traffic Management Foreman for HW Martin, said: “People don’t always realise how dangerous our job can be. We work close to live traffic and, while we can do everything possible to keep ourselves safe, we can’t control the actions of drivers.
“When someone ignores a closure or drives into a work area, it only takes a second for someone to get hurt. There are real people working behind those cones and all we’re trying to do is get home safely at the end of the day.”
National Highways is continuing to work with supply chain partners to reduce the risk of these incidents.
