Road traffic officers: the guardian angels of the highway
Road traffic officers on motorways play a crucial role in the safety of all users. These professionals often work in dangerous conditions, putting their own lives at risk to help drivers in difficulty. The Association des Sociétés Françaises d’Autoroutes (ASFA) assesses the safety of personnel working on licensed motorways, and the accident figures are alarming: every year, numerous accidents occur even though these workers are present on the scene to ensure safety, to respond in the event of an accident or to repair the infrastructure.
Road traffic officers in action: state of play
The Association of French Motorway Companies ASFA takes stock of the safety of road traffic officers on motorways and notes that the figures have been rising over the last three years. In fact, in 2023, motorway workers were the victims of an accident every two days on average. In the same year, the toll was 144 accidents, including 18 accidents resulting in injury, compared with 13 in 2022 and 12 in 2021.
Accidents generally occur when work site markings are put in place and during emergency interventions to rescue customers involved in accidents. Another danger, but not the least, is heavy goods vehicles, which are 49% responsible for accidents. Indeed, heavy goods vehicles overrunning onto the hard shoulder are the cause of numerous collisions with vehicles stopped for service reasons. In addition, one in four accidents involving motorway personnel occurs on the hard shoulder.
The highway, a place of danger
On the highway, men in yellow are involved in various activities essential to ensuring the safety and smooth running of the road network. This may involve marking roadworks or emergencies, intervening near a toll plaza, monitoring the removal of objects, repairing road signs or safety barriers, or salting roads and ensuring the flow of traffic in difficult weather conditions.
The majority of staff are also on the road to carry out liaison missions when they travel to or from an accident site. 36% of them were involved in an accident while responding to emergencies to help customers involved in accidents in 2023. These missions, although varied, all have a common objective: to guarantee the safety of motorway users. They put themselves in danger every day in order to avoid danger to as many people as possible.
Let’s look out for them
What if the roles were reversed and drivers looked out for their safety? It starts with respecting the emergency lane. On the motorway, it is essential never to encroach on the emergency lane, as this lane is reserved for vehicles in emergency situations. Encroaching on it exposes users to increased risk of accidents, as these areas are often close to vehicles in distress or road works.
Finally, it is enough to be more attentive to the various messages and signs indicating that an event is in progress on the highway and that it requires the presence of teams on the roadway. And to slow down…
It is essential to raise awareness of the importance of caution near intervention zones, which is why awareness-raising actions are carried out throughout the year.
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