About the campaign

Introduction

The safer driving through roadworks campaign has only one objective - to reduce the numbers of deaths and injuries to roadworkers on England's motorways and trunk roads.

It was launched in July 2002 by Transport Minister David Jamieson.

Since then the Highways Agency has included the safer driving through roadworks message in everything that we do connected with improving, maintaining or building roads.

The campaign so far:

Future activity to spread the safer driving message includes:

Facts and Figures

1,500 people on motorways and trunk roads were injured in roadworks during the year 2000 in more than 800 accidents. Many other accidents go unreported. (Source: TRL 2000)

11 roadworkers were killed in roadworks on motorways or trunk roads in England between October 2000 and February 2002. This equates to a 1 in 1000. (Source: HSE 2002)

According to research by Dr Stephen Roberts reported in The Lancet, roadworkers have the 16th most hazardous occupation in Great Britain; higher even than for military personnel.

The Highways Agency is responsible for approximately 4,818 miles or 7,754 km of roads in England (as of March 31 2004).

Road Tales

The following tales are based on real events. Names and locations have been changed.

Trevor, 41, is married with 2 children...

"I was working on the central reservation of the M42 repairing a crash barrier when a car swerved off the main carriageway through the cones and into me. I was off work for three months...I feel lucky to be alive." 

Dave was just 29 years old...

"The call came at four in the morning. They just said he had been in an accident and he wouldn't have suffered. I later found out that the vehicle that hit him was going too fast despite the speed limit in the roadworks."

Dave's mother

Frank has 2 children...

"I don't feel any anger towards the driver that hit me. She probably didn't even know I was there."

Trevor, Dave and Frank are just three of the many roadworkers killed and injured in over 800 reported accidents every year.

Roadside Views

 Cones on motorwayMen at work
 Men at workRoadside view at night

The Phil and Dave TV Commercial

Below are various formats of the commercial that you can choose from:

Press Notices

Road Date Headline
General 2002/07/15 NEW DRIVE TO CUT DEATHS AT ROADWORKS
General 2002/10/28 SIR JACKIE STEWART LAUNCHES HIGHWAYS AGENCY VIDEO TO SAVE ROADWORKERS

The Leaflet

About the campaign

Where are the roadworks

Phil and Dave commercial

Tips when setting out on a journey

Follow these simple tips to help you reach your destination safely:

  1. Plan your journey and let someone know your route and when you expect to arrive at your destination
  2. Check local and national weather forecasts
  3. Listen to the radio for travel information
  4. Carry food, blankets and a torch - especially in winter
  5. Make sure your vehicle is well-maintained and properly serviced, especially:
    • Windows and mirrors - clean and clear
    • Lights - working correctly
    • Oil and fuel - correct levels
    • Battery - fully charged
    • Tyres - correct tread depth and pressure
  6. If you do break down on a motorway use a roadside emergency telephone, as the breakdown/emergency services will be able to locate you easily. If you have to use a mobile phone, make sure you know your location using the numbers on the marker posts on the side of the hard shoulder
  7. Adjust your driving to the conditions
  8. Respect other road users by dipping your headlights and keeping your distance
  9. Don't use your mobile phone while driving
  10. Don't drink or be under the influence of drugs when driving

Why do we have roadworks?

England's motorways and trunk roads are the busiest in Europe with 153 billion kilometres travelled each year on a road network 9,400km or almost 6,000 miles in length.

With all this traffic there comes wear and tear.

We plan both routine and emergency roadworks in order to:

The types of activities our contractors do includes:

This is a lot of work and actually most of it you'll never see because we plan most of our roadworks to occur overnight or in off-peak periods. This is so that drivers don't get inconvenienced or delayed. Sometimes you'll see all the cones and roadworks signs left out with reduced lanes and a speed limit and yet no one appears to be working. This is often because safety barriers or hard shoulders could have been affected by the works and are considered to be temporarily unsafe.

It is only in relatively rare cases, for example road widening or resurfacing, that we you'll actually see roadworks happening. This is because the schemes are so large that the work cannot be completed overnight or that it would be unsafe for roadworkers for the cones and signs to be removed and replaced every day.

For this reason, roadworks actually contribute the least to the causes of congestion:

One of the reasons to encourage people to drive safely through roadworks is that actually they don't cause as many delays as an accident, which itself can cause further roadworks and emergency repairs. Our workers turn out in all weathers and conditions next to very fast moving traffic to keep the roads safe and well-maintained. So spare a thought and reduce your speed for both your sake and theirs.

Where are the roadworks

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Links


Contact us

If you would like more information about the Safer Driving Through Roadworks Campaign, or if you have any comments to make then please get in touch.

How you can help us reduce deaths and injuries to roadworkers:

If you feel you could help, then we have a range of marketing material including leaflets and a video of 'Phil and Dave' that we can send to you. You could also create a link from your website to this page - just e-mail us and we will send you the icon to place on your site.

Thank you for your interest in this campaign.

You can contact Anthony Aston at ha_info@highways.gsi.gov.uk

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