| Road rage at the road works |
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| Written by Administrator | |
| Wednesday, 22 August 2007 | |
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Eighty per cent of road workers have been verbally or physically abused by motorists, according to a survey carried out in the UK by the RAC Foundation. Forty per cent of workers are abused on either a daily or weekly basis.
In the survey, almost 80 per cent of ‘near misses’ recorded at road works in the last 12 months were due to poor driver behaviour. Despite motorway and trunk road maintenance being a vital service for road users, the survey of road workers reported that 81 per cent of them were frequently abused by motorists, either physically or verbally. A third of this abuse was reported as involving acts of extreme aggression, including: food, bottles and other missiles being hurled at the them from passing vehicles, and some workers said they had even been shot at with air rifles. Motorists can become especially irritated with delays on the roads, since they are eager to reach their holiday destination. There is no excuse for attacking road workers or driving recklessly through road works in an attempt to speed up the journey. Ironically, speeding through road works leads to accidents and hence further delays. Drivers approaching road works are advised to: • Keep within the speed limit - it is there for your safety. • Get into the correct lane in good time - don’t keep switching. • Concentrate on the road ahead, not the road works. • Be alert for works traffic leaving or entering road works. • Keep a safe distance - there could be queues in front. • Observe all signs - they are there to help you |
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