top of page
  • Writer's pictureSafer Highways

Roadworker almost injured by motorist driving through contra flow


A road worker escaped serious injury by jumping from the path of an oncoming motorist who drove the wrong way down a contra flow - presumably for personal gain.


Yesterday, 30th June, a motorist was filmed driving into a contra flow system, after screaming abuse at a road worker. Before almost running him over, mounts the grass and keeps driving.


The incident, believed to have happened on the A90, with the operative presumed to be from BEAR Scotland was captured on the dash cam of a motorist sitting in the traffic queue.


Published on social media site Linkedin the footage clearly shows the motorist moving between bollards and driving down a prohibited area and almost colliding with a member of the workforce.


Taken on a mobile phone the motorist is clearly shown having to take evasive action to avoid the operative within the worksite to the clear shock of those recording the incident.


Posting the incident on social media Gary Bremner, Business Development manager at Red Stag materials said,


"Caught this today. Car drives the wrong way down the road in a contra flow system, after screaming abuse at a road worker. Before almost running him over, mounts the grass and keeps driving. This is what road workers deal with everyday. Absolute madness."


The incident is one of many which are reported with alarming regularity and why Safer Highways, through our #stampitout campaign are driving an industry wide concerted effort to eradicate the risks to roadworkers from errant motorists.



Watch the Footage Here




Speaking about the footage Kevin Robinson, CEO of Safer Highways, joined the widespread groundswell of opinion in decrying the incident.


He said,


"This simply should not happen; there is an operative within the closure carrying out works and very simply the actions for this motorist have endangered his life - to the extent that the car was forced to mount the verge to avoid him.


"Lane closures are there for a reason and whilst we accept, at times a motorist may need to enter them due to mechanical defects, with a vehicle they are not simply an inconvenience for the motorist.


"The road using public need to understand that when we place cones in the road to protect those working behind them they must accept this and the delays they may suffer to carry out necessary improvements to the network.


"The individual whom the driver in question narrowly avoided was simply doing his job and as such should not have been subjected to either the physical risk of having a vehicle driven towards him nor the verbal abuse from the motorist.


"This is why the work of both the Highways England Incursions working group and the wider #Stampitout campaign, supported by clients such as Transport Scotland is vital.


"We must go over and above in protecting those we put to work."

992 views0 comments

Comments


Recent Blog Posts

NEWS AND UPDATES

bottom of page