New gadgets have been introduced to help slash the time taken to
move a stranded vehicle out of a live line to safety on motorways
or major A roads.
National Highways has invested £200,000 in new equipment and
training for all Traffic Officers to help speed up the time it
takes to move “non-rolling” broken down vehicles – including
electric vehicles – to a safe place and keep traffic moving.
As part of the change, all 262 National Highways traffic officer
vehicles have been equipped with plastic skates, with training
also provided to all Traffic Officers across the country in how
to use them. The skates, also known as “Slippery Jims”, work by
being hammered under each tyre. This helps to reduce the surface
friction between tyre and road, allowing it to be towed to a
place of safety by a National Highways Traffic Officer vehicle.
They can be used to safely move depleted electric vehicles (EVs).
Towing an EV can greatly damage the vehicle due to how the motors
are attached to the wheels and their lack of a true neutral gear.
Where previously traffic officers had to wait for a recovery
vehicle to avoid damaging the vehicle further, EVs can now be
moved right away with the use of this new equipment.
Additionally, Traffic Officer vehicles have also been fitted with
“battery boosters” – an effective tool to combat a battery
failure on a combustion engine vehicle. The booster will help
recharge and jump start the battery of any vehicle (up to 8 litre
petrol and 6 litre diesel) immediately, allowing it to be moved
to a safer area.
The announcement of the new kit was made as National Highways
launched the latest phase of its “Go Left” campaign today to
advise drivers who experience a problem with their vehicle.
Mel Clarke, National Highways Customer Service Director, said:
No-one plans to break down, but if the unexpected happens the new
equipment we have fitted to all our vehicles will further reduce
the time it takes to move a stranded vehicle out of a live lane
to a safer area, reducing the risk to both our Traffic Officers
and other road users.
The new apparatus allows our Traffic Officers to be much more
agile when dealing with broken down vehicles. Beforehand we’d
have to wait for a recovery vehicle to get to the scene but this
new approach speeds up clearance times, further improves motorway
and major A road safety and allows carriageways to return to
normal running quicker.
This is one of a number of measures being introduced to support
the shift to zero emissions journeys to meet the governments’
2050 net zero carbon target.
The kit was rolled out nationwide last year following a
successful trial in the East of England. The trial proved that
the plastic skates were 100% successful in towing a non-rolling
vehicle to safety, while the battery boosters were 99% effective
in providing power.
Dave Harford, National Highways Traffic Officer, said:
Safety is one of National Highways top priorities, and when we’re
dealing with a non-rolling vehicle in a live lane of a motorway
or major A road our primary concern is finding a way to move the
vehicle to an area of safety as quick as possible whilst
minimising risk.
This new equipment is a great addition to our vehicles as we’re
able to safely move vehicles much more effectively, which gets
the recovery process moving much faster helping to minimise any
delays to other road users.
In 2021 there were almost 205,663 reported breakdowns across the
National Highways network including around 183,453 on motorways.
Before the introduction of the new skates and battery boosters,
it could be the case that where a non-rolling electric vehicle
was concerned a Traffic Officer would need to wait for vehicle
recovery. During this time the stranded vehicle can cause delays
to other drivers. It’s expected that removing incidents from live
lanes more quickly will equate to a minimum boost of £29.8m per
year to the UK economy.
As part of the “Go Left” campaign, motorists in difficulty are
recommended to leave the motorway if possible and if this is not
possible:
Go left
Put your left indicator on and move into an emergency area, onto
a hard shoulder, motorway service area, left-hand verge or A-road
lay-by.
Switch your hazard warning lights on, even during the day. If
it’s dark, use side lights and in poor visibility use fog lights
as well.
On a motorway without a hard shoulder, it should be possible for
most vehicles experiencing a problem to reach an emergency area.
These are regularly spaced and are marked by a clearly visible
orange road surface and blue signs featuring an orange SOS
telephone symbol.
Get safe
If it is safe to do so, and you can get out with any passengers,
exit your vehicle on the side furthest from traffic. If it is not
safe to do so, stay in your vehicle and wait for help.
Keep well away from moving traffic and your own vehicle. Get
behind a safety barrier where there is one, and where it is safe
to do so. If you’re on a verge, be aware of any unseen hazards
such as uneven ground or debris.
