19 November 2013

Highways maintenance companies throughout England have swung behind a campaign originated by the A-one+ consortium, that includes Costain, to tackle the ongoing problem of motorists driving into roadworks.

In a bid to cut the number of injuries among staff and damage to maintenance vehicles a radio advertising campaign is attempting to ‘humanise’ road maintenance staff, making the point that they are not just anonymous workers but someone’s father, husband or son.

“It’s a massive problem,” said Phill Beaumont, Network Manager at A-one+ Area 14 in northeast England. “Six or seven of our vehicles have been hit this year by drivers not stopping at red lights and ploughing into the back of them. It’s an ongoing challenge.”

The campaign of six advertisements was first broadcast in the three regions maintained by the A-One+ consortium, which comprises Costain, Colas and Halcrow.

They have now been taken up, with the permission of A-one +, by other companies. The latest radio campaign’s £100,000 cost is being shared among the maintenance companies and has the support of the Highways Agency.

It consists of a series of three powerful messages to raise awareness among motorists of the need to drive safely when approaching road works. One, for example, alerts drivers to the danger of blindly following satnav directions that take them through coned-off areas; another reminds them that the nation’s highways are the workplace for thousands of people.

A third is aimed specifically at HGV drivers, warning them to ‘Wake up’ and is played late at night when they can be fatigued and operating on ‘auto-pilot’, sometimes missing signs warning of approaching roadworks.

The nationwide campaign ran from 21 October to 3 November. Andy Jamieson, Managing Director for A-One+ said: “We launched these adverts locally last year and they proved very successful, so we were delighted our colleagues across the industry have joined to support us in the first ever national advertising campaign to raise awareness of roadworkers’ safety.”

 

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