When anyone talks to you about driving on a motorway, and about what is the best way in which to do it, there is information abound concerning what method by which you should use to join at the slip road, in what manner you should use the slip road to leave, how to change lane and how you should use good lane discipline. Oh yes, you will also get plenty of information about stopping distances and what the SOS phones are for, but whoever tells you those extraordinary bits, like what you are supposed to do if you have a police car behind you and it is flashing the headlights, or explains the reason you see a police vehicle driving at 30mph in lane–3?

Motorways Are Statistically The Safest Roads In The UK

Statistically, the motorways of the United Kingdom are the safest roads in the country to drive upon, with fewer injuries or deaths being recorded per mile than any other type of road. However, for those who do a job of work within a motorway environment, they know the dangers are many and the threat to personal safety is very high.

Whenever there is an incident on a motorway it will always be the job of the police to manage and to coordinate the response to that incident, even if many different emergency services are involved in the overall operation. This page explains some of the procedures that are carried out, so that should you be in the appropriate place and the wrong time, and so be in the middle of things when it all happens, after reading this page you will at least have a better understanding of what is going on.

The Rolling Block & Why It Is Used

This is a very effective procedure that is used when it is necessary to remove objects from the carriageway, close off a motorway junction or to perform any task where it is necessary to put human beings into a motorway carriageway on foot. One of the most common uses of the Rolling Block is to remove debris, such as a strip of shredded lorry tyre, and this is how the rolling block works.

When a police patrol vehicle is despatched to a location, following a report of an object in the carriageway, this type of incident is regarded as being of an urgent nature, because the presence of debris in a live running lane is likely to disturb the flow of traffic, possibly to the point of causing a driver to swerve and to lose control. Motorways are very safe for traffic to travel upon, but only when nothing disturbs the flow. It’t like a the ripple effect you get when you throw a pebble into a pool of water, except the ripples on a motorway actually grow with intensity as the effects spread outward

Warning drivers & Controlling The Traffic Flow

When the police unit arrives on scene of an incident, the officers will call in by radio to the motorway control centre, and after announcing their arrival, they may well ask for certain motorway signals to be activated, such as a matrix signal, to show a speed limit or a lane closure. This is not a bomb proof method of controlling the traffic, but at least it may have the effect of alerting driver’s to the presence of something that may affect their progress and therefore be more vigilant to what is happening.

If the incident is that of debris in the carriageway, the officer in the passenger seat of the police patrol car will get out and wait at the location on the hard shoulder whilst his crewmate will reverse the patrol car along the hard shoulder in preparation to begin a rolling block. Depending upon the circumstances this could be for a distance of as much as a mile, to reach a suitable point from where to start.

The police vehicle swoops from the hard shoulder straight to lane–3

What the driver of the police vehicle does here is to pick an opportune moment to accelerate along the hard shoulder, with all rearward facing emergency lighting operating, to get up to speed with the traffic flow. Once up to speed, he or she will move into the outermost lane as quickly as possible and then begin to bring the speed of the police car down gradually and whilst keeping all the traffic behind it. This is the tricky part, as the or four lanes have to be controlled by just one car, and always there will be the one idiot who will want to undertake the police car and continue as normal.

When conducting the Rolling Block it is like herding sheep, because in these initial stages will be the trickiest moments, and it will be necessary at times to get quite aggressive by swerving across the nose of anyone who is trying to push past, so as to help that driver understand they are to stay put.

The police need to take control of the traffic

The patrol car driver will continue to control the traffic in this way, and may take the speed down to as low as 20mph, allowing the vehicles ahead of the convoy to disappear into the distance. What is achieved by this is what is known as a sterile area ahead of the police patrol car and behind the vehicle that is at the rear of the pack ahead.

As the police vehicle approaches the spot where the debris is located, the driver will signal to his crewmate, perhaps with a headlamp flash, to say that it is clear to remove the object. The officer standing on the hard shoulder will then walk into the carriageway, collect the offending object, before returning to safety of the hard shoulder. Here, he is joined by the patrol car, as the traffic that was being convoyed is allowed to run free.

Stay alert, think about what is happening and you won’t go wrong

If you are driving on a motorway, and you see a police patrol car ahead of you pull out to the outer most lane and begin slowing the traffic, don’t try and push past. This is likely to get you into very hot water. On the other hand, if you have just passed a patrol car that was on the hard shoulder, and it then swoops out to the outer lane behind you, don’t slow down, but keep going as normal, because what the officer perhaps wants is for all the vehicles ahead of his or her vehicle to get away as quickly as possible so as to create the required sterile area.

Sometimes, when performing a Rolling Block, particularly where there is little distance in which to do this, it may be necessary to being the convoy to a stop. Whilst this is a perfectly normal procedure, it is not desirable. Don’t worry. Stay in your lane and drive smoothly and gently so as not to disrupt the movement of the traffic any more than has already happened and stop a good car length back from the vehicle ahead.

Apart from being used to help the removal of debris, the Rolling Block may be used to give Highways contractors enough dead space and time to put in a lane closure, a junction closure or perhaps for a recovery agent to pull a vehicle across the lanes to the hard shoulder. Whatever the reason, the Rolling Block is done for a good one, and that is for safety, because when people are on foot in the carriageway, their personal welfare is of paramount importance.

How To Respond When Required To Stop By a Police Patrol

It may could be that when driving on a motorway you will be required to stop by a mobile police patrol. If this is the case, don’t automatically assume it is being done because you are about to be accused of an offence. Reasons for stopping are many, and it may be that the officers have noticed you have a tyre that is deflating, this being a potential killer, or that your exhaust system is about to fall off. Police motorway patrol officers know how dangerous place th emotorway is, so be assured that if you are being asked to stop there will be a very good reason as to why.

From a police patrol point of view, asking a driver to pull over and stop on a motorway is an extremely hazardous operation, mainly because the officers have no idea who they are dealing with in terms of the predictability of the individual concerned. The procedure, therefore, has to be very carefully managed so as to preserve the highest degree of safety, not only for the driver being required to stop, but for all those other road users in the vicinity – not to mention the police officers themselves.

If it is you who is being asked to stop there is much you can do to make this a safer process. After all, you have a duty of care as a driver as much as the officers have when managing the situation.

Take your car gently to the hard shoulder as if changing lanes

In almost every case the motorway patrol officers will want you to stop on the hard shoulder, and with your vehicle ahead of theirs. What should happen is the police vehicle will move into position behind you, match your speed and then give two or three long flashes of the headlights whilst the blue roof lamps are flashing. Accompanying this show of lights should be a left–hand indicator. What the police driver is doing here is asking you to pull over to the hard shoulder and to stop.

DO NOT, whatever you do, stop in your lane. DO NOT abruptly pull onto the hard shoulder and brake hard to a stop. Pulling onto the hard shoulder and stopping is a manoeuvre that needs to be performed gently and with care. The best procedure is to firstly acknowledge the request made by the officers, and this is best done by raising your left hand up to the height of your internal rear view mirror for a couple of seconds, and then switch on a left–hand indicator. If it is safe and clear, steer gently onto the hard shoulder as if changing lane on the main carriageway, but DO NOT brake until the whole of your vehicle is within the confines of the hard shoulder. Now apply gentle braking until the car comes to a gradual stop.

The police officers should check that is its safe for you to enter the hard shoulder before carrying out their request for you to stop, so as to be sure it is clear of any vehicles or other obstruction. However, it is always best to have a good look for yourself too.

Do not slow down until you are completely on the hard shoulder

It may be the request for you to stop is not completed whilst you are in Lane–1, but when you are in one of the other lanes. The procedure should be the same, except you will need to move lanes, one at a time, over to the left until you are on the hard shoulder. DO NOT reduce speed in the running lanes (live carriageaawy), as this may confuse other drivers and you could find you get vehicles overhauling you on your inside. Keep your speed constant and steady until you are in a position to begin your stopping procedure.

Once stopped, remain seated in your car, but watch the occupants of the police vehicle closely by use of your rear view mirrors, as it may be that you need to follow a gesture made by one or both of then. If they are following correct procedures, the officer from the passenger side of the patrol car will approach your vehicle on foot and come to your passenger side front door. This is done so that he or she is not speaking to you whilst next to the dangers of a live carriageway.

If the reason for the stop is a very simple and quick one, the officer may be able to say all that he needs to whilst crouching at your open passenger door, or by speaking to you through your open nearside window. Remember to speak clearly and loudly, as the environment outside your car will be extremely noisy. If there is a more involved reason for the stop, you may be invited back to the patrol car, perhaps to examine a reading on a speed–measuring device, for example. Always follow instructions as directed, as these will be given for your own safety.

Watch out for the back–draught caused by passing large vehicles

Although you did not ask to be stopped, you still have some responsibility for your own safety, so make sure that if you get out of your car, and before you open your driver’s door, it is safe to do so. This may seem an obvious statement to make, but you need to be aware that if an articulated goods vehicle, or tour coach, passes you at the precise moment you open your door, the back draught caused by the passing of the vehicle may well be sufficient to snatch your door from your hand and to fold it flat against your front wing. If a large vehicle passes as you are getting out, that draught can be enough to take you off your feet. Wait for a suitable gap in the traffic, but if you are not happy with the situation, climb across the front of your car and get out through the passenger side. When returning to your vehicle, remember the same information for getting back in.

To move off effectively and safely you need to use the hard shoulder as an acceleration lane. The officers should explain this to you, but the correct procedure requires you to build up your speed along the hard shoulder until you have matched that of the traffic in lane–one. When covering a suitable gap in the traffic, give a good clear indicator signal to the right before moving gently into the space. This procedure for rejoining a main carriageway from the hard shoulder is just the same as when changing lanes for normal driving conditions.

Coning Off Motorway Lanes

During their every day duties, police motorway patrols, and highways agency patrols, will often need to close off a motorway lane with traffic cones. The most common reason for closing a lane is to protect a tyre fitter whilst changing an off–side wheel on a truck, or other vehicle. Thsi required Lane–1 to be coned off, and should you come along just when this is happening, it is a good idea for you to understand the process.

Firstly, the motorway matrix signals will be set to show a temporary speed limit, and the signal closest to the scene will be set to indicate which lane is closed. The highways agency patrol, or police motorway patrol vehicle, will be positioned on the hard shoulder to the rear of whatever it is that needs the lane closure with light sflashing to warn you that you need to take special care. Whoever is putting out the cones will do so by walking backwards, facing you and the other approaching traffic, placing the first cone on the white line that divides the hard shoulder from Lane–1. More cones are placed out, one by one in a taper, set at a gentle angle across the lane, so as to herd the approaching traffic over to Lane–2.

Once the cone taper is in place, the patrol vehicle is moved into Lane–1 and parked within the cones and with all rearward emergency lighting in operation. This is to afford some protection for the officers placing out the remaining cones and anyone else within that coned area. The patrol vehicle will remain in place whilst the incident is being dealt with.

When circumstances dictate, it may be it is necessary to use a Rolling Block to get the lane closure set up, and⁄or to remove it. It may of course be that a collision has taken place, or the lane needs to be closed due a vehicle on fire. But whatever the reason, there will be a good reason, and the measures that are taken will be with the safety of the motoring public set as a priority.

Emergency Services Attendance at Motorway Collisions

It seems to be a fact of life there will at some stage be a collision between vehicles on a motorway, and sometimes when this happens, disabled vehicles will be stuck in the live carriageway. It shouldn’t take long for the police or highways agency patrol to arrive, and one of the first things that will happen is that an assessment will be made as to whether any of the vehicles involved can be moved to the hard shoulder. However, if that is not possible, a recovery agent will be called out, but in the meantime the emergency services in attendance will need to do their best to keep the traffic moving. If that means closing lanes for your safety then that is just one of those awkward facts of life that we have to endure, and everyone is just going to have to be patient. However, what can be avoided is a follow–up collision on the opposite carriageway, which often occurs when people start rubbernecking, a term used to describe the act of trying to see what is happening on the other carriageaway. When people do this is causes bunching of traffic, inattention and then often a collision.

Being a Witness To a Traffic Collision On a Motorway

A collision on one carriageway should not affect the flow of traffic on the other, but it does. We said earlier that motorways traffic copes very well whilst everything is free flowing, and incidents only start to happen when something disrupts that flow. A collision on one carriageway is disruptive influence to the other, but only because people want to slow down and have a look. If you see there is a collision on the opposite carriageway then don’t look at that, pat particular attention to what everyone on your carriageway is doing, because many of then will not be thinking about their driving.

If you have witnessed a collision, or seen the vehicles involved driving along prior to the collision, make sure you provide your name and address, as you could provide vital information after the event that can assist the investigation. Do not get involved in the scene, especially if there are trucks involved. The reason for this advice is you will not have a clue what it is they are carrying, and if there are hazardous substances involved, contact with a spillage, or the breathing of fumes, can be fatal. If you can’t drive on, stay in your car and keep out of the way, as putting yourself at risk may mean you become another casualty for the emergency services to deal with.

What Action You Should Take If Involved In a Motorway Crash

Should you be unfortunate enough to be involved in the collision yourself; here are some words of advice.

If your car comes to rest in lane–1, and you are not too badly injured, try to get it to the hard shoulder. If the engine has stalled, and won’t re–start, cars with a manual gearbox can be moved by putting the gear lever into first gear and then cranking the engine over on the starter motor. If that doesn’t work then you are just going to have to leave it where it is – but don’t take the keys with you! If the police or highways agency patrol attend it may be possible for them to shift your car out of the carriageway, but without the keys and with the steering lock on, the choices become far more limited.

Still in lane–1, and not being able to shift the car to the hard shoulder, you are best to get out if you can, and to do so by climbing over to the passenger side, assuming the car is still facing your intended direction of travel. Once out of the vehicle, wherever possible, get over onto the verge and preferably behind a barrier so as to be away from the main carriageway. Once you have left the car, DO NOT go back to it, but remain within sight of it in case your presence is required by the emergency services.

Accidents – It’s All About Personal Safety on The Motorway

Report the incident to the motorway control room as soon as you can, either by use of a motorway SOS phone, or by your mobile. Remember to use the marker post information to identify your location when you do this, although a call from an SOS phone will give your location automatically.

If you become stuck in the outside lane, and if you can get out of the car, stand next to the central barrier a few yards ahead of the car. NEVER try to run or walk across the lanes until directed to do so by a member of the emergency services, and NEVER cross the barrier to the opposite carriageway. By standing ahead of the vehicle you are using it as a crash–buffer as it will offer you some protection from the approaching traffic.

Think clearly and always consider the greater risks

If your vehilcle is in a collsion, and comes to rest in one of the centre lanes, you have a difficult decision to make, as you will have to complete a swift dynamic risk assessment to determine the best option. If you have several vehicles all stopped behind you, and the integrity of the passenger cell of your car is still relatively intact, you may be better to remain in the vehicle, as the structure will offer you some protection, as will the stationary vehicles to your rear. However, it may be a good idea just to check that you can open a door so as to be able to get out in a hurry should you need to, and that you can get your seatbelt off.

If you are stranded in one of the centre lanes, and your vehicle is unprotected by others to the rear, this may be an occasion where it will be prudent to get out and make for the hard shoulder (leaving your keys behind, of course), but be careful. Hopefully, because of the collision, the unaffected traffic will have slowed, but be aware that vehicles cover a lot of ground in a short time on this type of road and the average driver is only looking 30–yards ahead of their bonnet, or at the crashed vehicles.

The Fear Your Vehicle Will Catch Fire

With regard to vehicle fires, it seems that we have become very much accustomed to seeing car fires in films, especially ones that show a car chase, where every time a vehicle hits something it bursts into flames. You will note that the car does not just catch fire, it explodes into a fireball, but this is all done for dramatic effect and will have been engineered by the film company special effects department to spice to the production.

If you have a crash for the first time the chances are that your mind will immediately replay one of those scenes from a film you have seen, as if you have a DVD player in your head. The reality is that crash for crash, vehicle fires do not happen very often. Always remember that under your bonnet you have a lot of water in your cooling system and when a coolant hose or the radiator becomes ruptured, these being quite delicate items, the coolant fluid will produce clouds of steam, especially when it spills onto a hot exhaust system. This can make you think the car is on fire, but try not to panic, because the chances are you will be looking at a cloud of steam and not smoke.

Using Your Mobile Phone to Raise The Alarm

In this age of the mobile phone where just about everyone has one, the poor motorway control room operator has a very difficult time when it comes to people reporting collisions, or other motorway emergencies by use of a mobile phone. This is because well–meaning people will try to report a crash or a vehicle fire and not have a clue where they are. This can waste valuable time and often results in emergency service vehicles being sent to the wrong location. So how do you know where you are when on a motorway?

Firstly, you should know what motorway you are on, so that is a help to start with, and you should know the direction in which you are headed, which is also a help. However, the best way to pin–point your exact location is to use the information on the nearest marker post.

Marker posts are positioned every 100–metres along the verge next to the hard shoulder. They are those little white, blue and red things, and if you look at one closely you will see that it has a number on it, within a blue band around its top. That number is unique to the location of that post, so in the case of the example in the photo opposite, if you told the telephone operator that you were on the M40 motorway, travelling towards Birminhgham, and at marker post seventy–three over one, you will have given the precise location of where you were calling from.

Vehicle Breakdowns

If you ever break down on motorway, apart from the personal safety issues involved, there are certain rules that you need to be aware of. Knowledge of motorway regulations, and police enforcement of the relevant motorway regulations, is not something that is within the knowledge of the general motoring public, so here’s a few pointers that will help you stay out of trouble.

Two–hours is all the time you have got before you are towed away

Should your vehicle breakdown during the hours of darkness, and within an unlit section of motorway, providing your vehicle is completely on the hard shoulder, you are displaying obligitory lights (side lights), and your lighting equipment is in good working order, you have up to 2–hours to get the problem sorted and be on your way. However, if your lighting equipment fails then your vehicle needs to be removed immediately. This will be robustly enforced, and if you don’t arrange to have the car removed yourself, the police will do it for you – whether you want them to or not. This applies also if you overstay the 2–hour rule.

During daylight hours, you have 2–hours to get sorted out. Remain there any longer and you will have to get your vehicle removed, or it will be removed, whether you like it or not. However, if there are aggravating circumstances, such as adverse weather conditions, or your vehicle is in a precarious position, such as causing an unacceptable level of risk, it may be that it needs removing straight away.

The time limit conditions only apply if your vehicle is as safe as possible on the hard shoulder, but vehicles involved in collisions will usually be removed straight away. However, if the damage is of a minor nature, and you are able to remain with the car with that car in a safe position on the hard shoulder, there is no reason why it cannot be regarded as a breakdown case and be subject to the normal rules for brokendown vehicles.

Police Approved Vehicle Recovery Agents

If the police arrange to have your vehicle removed from the motorway, and they can quite legally do this even if you are not there, a police approved recovery agent will be called out to deal with it. These recovery agents have to meet certain criteria if they are to be excepted on the police call–out list, and the rules are quite strict. Factors that are considered are their response time to the motorway, level of equipment, and the condition of that equipment are all matters that are looked into when considering an application. Other conditions will be to do with the safe storage of vehicle’s, the ability to recover damaged or burned out vehicles in a manner so as to preserve evidence for forensive examination. They have to provide undercover storage that is warm and dry and provide facilities for mechanical examinations.. Basically, police approved vehicle recovery agents have to be a quality outfit, or they do not get on the list.

Another factor that is controlled by regulation is the price a recovery agent can charge you for removing your car from the motorway. This is a set price and the recovery companies are not allowed to vary it. Depending upon the administration in the area in which you have the misfortune to breakdown or to have a collision, it may be that your invoice for vehicle recovery will be issued by the police.

What Is Best Practice If Your Vehicle Breaks Down

The best practice, if you do break down on the motorway, and even if you contact your own breakdown service or other help by use of your mobile phone, make sure you tell the motorway control room what is going on. Communication is the key to a more successful outcome, and if you are seen to be helpful in providing information concerning your plans and situation you will find the control room staff, in most cases, will try to help you as much as possible.

The best way to make this contact is via a motorway SOS phone, as not only will you speak directly to the control room that covers that area, but this will also identify your precise location. To locate the nearest SOS phone, look at the marker posts that appear every 100–metres along the edge of the hard shoulder and you will see on the narrow edge of the post that faces the carriageway there will be a symbol representing a telephone handset. Under this there will be an arrow indicating direction of the nearest SOS phone. SOS phones appear every mile, so the furthest you will be from one is half a mile.

Whilst it is not unlawful for you to leave your broken down vehicle for a short while, perhaps whilst you go off for a can of fuel, it is always good to remember that in this day and age of high–security, a vehicle left unattended under a bridge, or next to some important installation, may make the authorities somewhat uncomfortable, especially if you have not told anyone what is going on. You could inadvertently spark off a security alert.

Abnormal Loads Under Escort

This used to be a task that was performed solely by police patrols, but these days, escorting abnormal loads can be done by highway agency patrols, or even private contractors. However, if the size of the load being moved is exceptionally big, it may still fall to the police patrol to carry out the escort duties.

An abnormal load will be classed as such due to its exceptional weight, height, width or length of the vehicle and cargo. Long or heavy loads tend to only cause disruption through their very slow travelling speed and to only one lane of traffic of the motorway, unloke a wide load, which can take up two lanes. Where a wide load overlaps a second lane the driver should be instructed by the escort crew not to overhang the hard shoulder, but to straddle lanes one and two. The reason for this is when overhanging the hard shoulder, if there is an obstruction, such as a broken down vehicle, the escorted vehicle will have to swing out to get by. That is not a situation you want when everyone is pressing to get passed this thing that is holding up the traffic.

The escort vehicle is there to give you advanced warning

Typically, the escort vehicle will follow the wide load vehicle, and where two lanes are being used, the escort vehicle will occupy Lane–2. It will also remain close enough to discourage other traffic from getting between escort vehicle and escorted load, but far enough back to provide advanced warning to drivers approaching from behind, and for the abnormal load driver to be able to see the escort vehicle.

On some thee–lane motorways, where there is a junction, it may occur that the main carriageway is reduced to two–lanes through the junction, as Lane–1 becomes the slip road off, and the slip road on again at the other side. Where this happens the abnormal load vehicle may have to consume the whole available width of road for that section and following driver’s will just have to be patient and wait. In order to be prepared for the loss of Lane–1 the wide vehicle will have to get into position early and so block off lanes two and three prior to the junction. This move will be assisted by the escort vehicle as it will move into position first to cover the lane. Don’t try and be clever and squeeze through the closing gap, because if you misjudge it, you are going to lose.

Hopefully this page has given you an insight into some of the procedures that take place on the motorway and why some of them are carried out in the way they are. Having a better understanding of what is going on will mean that you will be better equipped to help deal with the situation. After all, the things that will be happening are all being done to help keep you and those around you safe in situations that can very quickly develop into something serious.