In the last year 70% of trunk roadworkers across Scotland have had their lives put at risk by motorists’ dangerous driving behaviour or have been subjected to verbal or physical abuse while they carry out essential maintenance and improvement works on the country’s key routes, a new survey has revealed.
Scotland’s three Trunk Road Operating Companies are now calling on road users to be patient and respect the work force who carry out essential road maintenance.
The Roadworkers Safety survey has been undertaken by Trunk Road Operating Companies BEAR Scotland, Scotland TranServ and Amey as part of a campaign in conjunction with Transport Scotland to speak up for roadworkers in Scotland.
Throughout the week-long campaign (24 June – 28 July), each Operating Company will highlight the statistics and real-life accounts and experiences from their teams.
The key findings of the 2019 Roadworker Safety survey taken from across almost 400 industry employees include:
- 70% of those surveyed reported instances of private vehicles entering the works safe-zone area.69% of those surveyed witnessed road users ignoring red lights at road works.
- Nearly two out of three (65%) reported being verbally abused by passing motorists.52% had a near-miss – i.e. they narrowly avoided being hit by a private vehicle erroneously entering a works area. - Almost one in three roadworkers (31%) had missiles thrown at them in the past year by passing motorists – including plastic bottles, apple cores, eggs, juice cans and even bottles of urine.14% experienced physical abuse whilst carrying out works on some of Scotland’s busiest routes.
Andy Fraser, Scotland TranServ’s Operating Company Representative said:
“More than two-thirds of our employees work on the trunk roads in the south west of Scotland every day. Their accounts of dangerous driving and the missiles thrown at them are concerning. While it is the minority of drivers who are responsible for such behaviour, it should not be tolerated in any shape or form on our trunk roads or elsewhere in our society. Our operatives are real people, with real lives and real families; families who want their dad, their husband and their son to come home safely at the end of the working day.”
