Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

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Chris5156
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by Chris5156 »

Big L wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 17:42 Was this from the "innovation budget"?
No, it was from the Smart Motorway Stocktake fund, which included £5m set aside specifically for driver education. That money is basically the funding originally meant for the A1(M) J6-8 Smart Motorway which has been delayed to RIS3 to enable the Stocktake works to go ahead.
WHBM
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by WHBM »

Chris5156 wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 17:53 No, it was from the Smart Motorway Stocktake fund, which included £5m set aside specifically for driver education. That money is basically the funding originally meant for the A1(M) J6-8 Smart Motorway which has been delayed to RIS3 to enable the Stocktake works to go ahead.
Which DfT civil servant has a second job as a media ad salesman ?
ais523
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by ais523 »

jonnyf90 wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 16:42 And it's knowledge that any competent driver will already know if they've even glimpsed at a Highway Code.
I actually decided to check the Highway Code to see if the information is there.

Rule 275 is the main rule that covers breakdowns on motorways. It doesn't mention refuge areas at all, although "try to stop near an emergency telephone (situated at approximately one-mile intervals along the hard shoulder)" sort-of hints at them. Its main advice, though, is to leave at the next exit or stop at a service station if possible, or use the hard shoulder if not possible.

Refuge areas are mentioned in Rule 269, pretty much as an aside. You'd need more than a glimpse at the Highway Code to find them there (especially because Rule 269 is primarily about telling people what they aren't allowed to use the hard shoulder for).

It strikes me that fixing the Highway Code to be clearer on these matters would probably be a fairly cheap way to educate people, though.
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Chris5156
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

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ais523 wrote: Tue Apr 20, 2021 02:56It strikes me that fixing the Highway Code to be clearer on these matters would probably be a fairly cheap way to educate people, though.
There was a consultation on changes to the Highway Code, mainly focussed on adding Smart Motorway stuff to bring it up to date. It's another thing recommended in the Smart Motorway Stocktake last year. It closed on 29 March so we'll have to wait and see what the results are.

While it's right that changes are made to keep the HC up to date, I don't agree that this will do much to educate people. It'll educate new drivers about Smart Motorways, certainly, but not existing ones, because existing drivers do not typically pick up a copy of the Highway Code from one decade to the next, much less actually read it.
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by Bendo »

How many people reread the highway code once they have passed their test? Fixing the highway code won't fix the problem.

Basic common sense should dictate to people that if they break down pull into the safest place possible. HE have perhaps lulled people into a false sense of security, they have told the public to obey the signage but they haven't said it can take in excess of 20 minutes for them to turn on the signs after you stop.

A better advertising campaign would have simply been to say stop in a line lane and you are at the mercy being seen by other drivers travelling at motorway speeds.
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