In the last 12 months, BEAR have recorded 18 cases of unauthorised vehicles driving into its work sites, sometimes at speed. These incursions, as they are officially called, put road workers at risk of injury or death while they do their job.
Of the 18 separate cases of incursions into worksites, 12 were reported to police and several people were charged, including a drunk driver and a driver that tested positive for cocaine. Two serious injuries resulted from incursions.
Our 2022 roadworker survey highlights the potential scale of the problem:
• 76% of workers have seen vehicles jump red lights at works areas
• 61% have seen vehicles enter coned off work site areas
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• 57% have witnessed a near-miss when an unauthorised vehicle has entered an on-site working area
• 56% have seen collisions with traffic management equipment
• 13% have had objects thrown at them from moving vehicles
Duncan Crilley, BEAR operations supervisor, said: "You see it every day –people jumping lights. Drivers racing through convoy set-ups, cones, and barriers. People should respect roadworkers. They are only doing their job. I feel relieved when my team come in and nothing has happened, they are heading home to their families. That is what drivers need to remember: drive past roadworkers as if they are your family – they are someone's family."
BEAR have put various systems in place to minimise the risk to its on-site teams, including CCTV, dashcams and bodycams. However, public awareness is the key to minimising the day-to-day risk to road maintenance workers.
Sandra Wilson, BEAR health, safety, and risk manager, explained: "It is everyone's right to come home from work uninjured. Every day our road working teams rely on drivers making good choices. One risk can put numerous lives in danger, including that of the driver and their passengers.
"In a bid to minimise our team's risks, we have implemented the use of the latest technology. Our on-site teams now have a variety of CCTV vehicles, dashcams, bodycams and incursion alarms to help protect them. This also allows us to provide police with evidence where necessary. We hope that, if the public is increasingly aware these measures are in place, it will deter them from taking risks around roadworks and playing Russian roulette with workers' lives."
