A driver in Greater Manchester has been handed a £60 fine and three penalty points after driving towards a roadworker clearing debris on the M66 last month.
Highways Agency Traffic Officers from the outstation at Milnrow near Rochdale were operating a rolling road block along the M60 near the Simister Island interchange on Thursday, June 23, when the incident happened.
In spite of the ‘Don’t Pass’ message at the back of the Traffic Officers’ high visibility patrol car, the driver headed past the block onto the M66 where another Traffic Officer was about to walk out onto the northbound carriageway to remove the hazardous debris.
The operation had to be aborted temporarily and the driver’s vehicle registration reported to the police.
Rolling road blocks are used by police and Highways Agency Traffic Officers to slow down traffic and hold it back – creating a safe environment ahead to allow them to remove broken down vehicles or hazardous debris.
Straight after last month’s incident an officer from Greater Manchester Police visited the driver at home and she later received a Fixed Penalty Notice of £60 as well as three penalty points on her driving licence.
John McTaggart, Regional Operations Manager in charge of the Highways Agency's North West Traffic Officer Service, said, "We applaud Greater Manchester Police for its swift action in this case. Statements were taken and the driver fined within 23 hours of the incident.
“Highways Agency Traffic Officers and other roadworkers need to be sure they can work safely at incidents and roadworks without the fear of drivers breaking through cones or rolling roadblocks - putting themselves and the roadworkers at risk of serious injury or death.
"Drivers need to be aware it is an offence to ignore the instructions of Highways Agency Traffic Officers. Drivers risk a fine, driving ban or even a jail sentence if they fail to comply with those directions and drive into protected areas of the motorway where Traffic Officers and other roadworkers are just trying to get on with their jobs - making the roads safer for everyone else."
