National Highways teams working around the clock to keep Christmas disruption to a minimum

Last year, National Highways traffic officers attended almost 400 incidents on England’s motorways and major A-road network on Christmas Day, according to organisational data released this week.   

These included everything from vehicle breakdowns to animals on the network and even abandoned vehicles.  

National Highways traffic officer Gaye Bayliss – who has been with National Highways for the past nine years and worked on Christmas Day six times during that period – will be out on patrol on Christmas Day on parts of the Midlands motorway network including the M5, M40 and M42.  

Gaye said: “I like working Christmas Day because there’s a real team spirit and you know how important the day is to everyone because they’re travelling to see friends or family for a special occasion. On a personal note, I take pride in helping to make those journeys happen and by working to clear incidents. 

Whenever there is an incident, Gaye’s priority is to keep people safe.  She will also stop traffic to clear obstructions and spills, help remove broken-down vehicles, and support the police and other emergency services by managing road closures when there’s a serious incident.    

"The day itself can be busy and I’d say one of the most common occurrences is people running out of fuel. I’ve stood at the roadside before with people who are on their phones desperately trying to find the nearest filling station which is open on 25 December." 

Gaye added, “It’s really important that motorists fill up their tanks before setting off and make sure they follow our T.R.I.P acronym to help the plan their journey.   

“Our advice would always be to firstly make sure that you have plenty of fuel for the trip and if in doubt, go out and top up the day before to make sure you don’t run out. It’s also important to plan a rest every two hours, check your tyres are in good condition and to make sure you have a warm coat and fluids with you in case of severe weather." 

For more information on driving safely, including tips on looking after your tyres and how to keep oil levels topped up, head to https://nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/  

Published On: 21/12/2023 14:30:00

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