Skip advert
Advertisement

Road closures cost us £1bn last year

England saw more than 500k road closures in 2014 at an estimated cost of one billion Pounds. Safety chief calls for action

Motorway lane closure

Wild animals, unsupervised children, wandering pedestrians and crumbling roads were just some of the reasons for motorway and A-road lane closures in 2014.

In total, there were nearly half a million cases where a live lane had to be shut down, with 44 different reasons given by Highways England in figures revealed to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). The most common was a broken down car, accounting for almost half of the 443,590 lane closures.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Real world MPG tests still 5 years away

Pedestrians wandering on to live lanes accounted for 12,759 closures – three per cent of all incidents. In addition, 122 unsupervised children were reported. 

Animals loose on the roads – including swans, deer, horses and cattle – caused almost 4,000 closures, and a further 567 drivers stopped traffic by driving on the wrong side of the road. There were also 856 attempted suicides that required action, the figures revealed.

Sarah Sillars, the IAM’s chief executive officer, said it was “unacceptable” that 5,700 closures were due to potholes and showed the vast investment needed in roads across the country. She added: “This is not something England can be proud of.”

Other more common reasons for shutting a lane included planned roadworks – where Highways England acted ahead of the work – and administrative checks performed by police, including reports of erratic driving and potentially unroadworthy cars. The closures – and resulting delays – cost the UK economy an estimated £1billion.

Sillars concluded: “It shows people do not treat our key economic arteries with the respect they deserve. Pedestrians, unsupervised children and objects thrown on the road should never be happening. “An education and awareness campaign starting at school age is badly needed.”

Main reasons for UK road closures in 2014

IncidentNumberPercentage of total
Breakdown185,45741 per cent
Planned roadworks61,58714 per cent
Obstruction – other36,0428 per cent
Road traffic collision – no injury29,6567 per cent
Administration (e.g. police checks)23,7055 per cent

What can be done to prevent road closures in the UK? Give us your thoughts in te comments section below... 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Kia UK boss calls for clear ZEV roadmap, plus “modest” consumer incentives
Kia's UK boss, Paul Philpott standing next to a Kia EV6

Kia UK boss calls for clear ZEV roadmap, plus “modest” consumer incentives

Brand CEO says ZEV mandate is a threat, asking for clarity from the Labour government
News
6 Jan 2025
Car finance scandal: Supreme Court hearing could halve number of claimants
Finance contract, car key and calculator on desk

Car finance scandal: Supreme Court hearing could halve number of claimants

Scandal involving car finance commission could see motorists entitled to billions of pounds in payouts
News
19 Dec 2024
Dieselgate is back! Thousands of cars could be recalled as scandal returns
Emissions tests questioned

Dieselgate is back! Thousands of cars could be recalled as scandal returns

The DfT is currently investigating as many as 47 models across several brands that are suspected to use diesel defeat devices
News
14 Nov 2024
MoT failure rate is worse for vans than cars
MOT

MoT failure rate is worse for vans than cars

More than a third of light commercials failed their first MoT last year, new figures show
News
12 Nov 2024

Most Popular

New Renault Clio to shun electric power and stick with petrol and hybrid options
Renault Clio design render - front

New Renault Clio to shun electric power and stick with petrol and hybrid options

Renault’s sixth-generation Clio hatchback will get a clean look and hi-tech kit, and our exclusive images show what it could look like
News
12 Feb 2025
Car Deal of the Day: handsome, sporty Mazda CX-5 dips under £250 per month
Mazda CX-5

Car Deal of the Day: handsome, sporty Mazda CX-5 dips under £250 per month

The Mazda CX-5 is fun to drive, features a driver-focused, premium interior and is our Deal of the Day for 9 February
News
9 Feb 2025
New Renault Trafic unveiled alongside Goelette and Estafette commercials
Renault Trafic - front

New Renault Trafic unveiled alongside Goelette and Estafette commercials

All three Renault vans will be all-electric - sitting on a new architecture developed by Ampere
News
10 Feb 2025

Find a car with the experts