Respect Our Road Workers

Around 2,200 road accidents, where people are injured, occur UK wide every year at or in the vicinity of road works. Some of these incidents involve those working on the road. Road workers are there to ensure the roads are properly maintained and improved. Roadworks are a place of work, and the people there deserve just as much respect as you would want at work. On busy roads, day or night, in all weathers, they risk their lives improving our roads, keeping them open. Loss of life, or serious injury, is a very real threat when motorists speed through roadworks trying to save a few seconds. Motorists should respect the road workers and drive with caution when passing all roadworks and abide by the set speed limit. When you see roadworks, reduce your speed, drive with more care and keep them safe.

Transport Scotland has worked in partnership with the Highways England to produce a range of information to highlight the need to respect road workers and the work they do in difficult situations. The following link provides a suite of eight posters and two postcard treatments that are designed to reinforce the serious respect our roadworkers messages.

View the materials at www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/20640.aspx.

Please also see the video 'Respect Our Road Workers' which illustrates the effects of accidents at roadworks. You can view the video in the format you choose (including a text-only transcript) by following the link below.

View the video at www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/20639.aspx.

The videos can also be viewed via YouTube in the player below.

Respect

'Respect' is a short drama that compares the responsibility of the road worker with that of other professionals whole roles are also to make our lives more informed, more reliable and safe. The road worker is contrasted next to other professions to build drama, and show the everyday dangers of the job. The consequences of not acknowledging the safety of road workers is made clear, and this is then translated to the other professions with shocking outcomes.

5 Seconds

A speed restriction of 50mph at road works will mean that traveling a quarter of a mile to pass the road works will take 18 seconds.

Traveling at the maximum speed of 70mph, to travel the same distance it will take 13 seconds. The difference is 5 seconds.

'5 SECONDS' features two business colleagues who are on their way to an important presentation but are already running late. We see how a decision made to save just 5 seconds can change lives.