National Highways has raised concerns about a growing pattern of drivers deliberately breaching roadwork closures and barriers to avoid traffic delays. The agency reported that between January and July this year, approximately 814 incursions into closed-off roadwork areas were documented across England, with 53% involving drivers attempting to circumvent queues, closures, or diversions.
The recurring dangerous behavior has prompted National Highways to implement more severe traffic management measures, including the complete closure of motorway sections to shield workers from harm rather than simply closing individual lanes. These comprehensive closures have created significant travel disruptions, including a 10-mile diversion requirement following repeated incursions on the M1 motorway in Hertfordshire earlier this year. The agency has released footage from prosecutions and driving bans resulting from such incidents to illustrate the severity of the problem.
Across England’s motorway and A-road networks, approximately 30 incursions occur weekly on average. While some incidents result from driver error or vehicle breakdowns, officials report that the majority now involve deliberate attempts to gain time advantages through unauthorized shortcuts. Melanie Clarke, director of health, safety and wellbeing at National Highways, emphasized that over 400 incidents classified as deliberately seeking benefit have occurred this year alone, representing a notable increase. She noted that at least one fatality has been attributed to such incursions this year.
Officials stress that sealed roadwork areas always involve either active work or imminent construction activity, and that surface conditions may be compromised in ways that make vehicle passage unsafe. Drivers attempting such shortcuts face not only legal consequences but also typically do not achieve time savings. Traffic management contractors have emphasized the particular vulnerability of workers in these zones, noting that their safety depends partly on factors beyond their control when drivers breach closed areas at speed.
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