Parents are being warned about using the hard shoulder as a naughty step. It comes after a child was found walking down the motorway by a Highways England patrol.
The traffic officer came across a child walking alongside the motorway on the M4 near Bristol recently. The car occupants had given the child ‘time out’ for playing up.
In Northampton, traffic officers came across an abandoned LGV in a live lane on the M1. The driver returned 15 minutes later after walk into the services, as he’d rather not use the lorry park.
Simon Jones, Highways England, Regional Director South East said: We want everyone to get to their destinations safely. But some people put themselves at risk.
“The advice is simple: Be prepared. Check your vehicle before you set out to avoid unnecessary breakdowns; don’t stop except in an emergency; and if you have to stop, make sure you know what to do.
Drivers often think the hard shoulder is a safe place to stop but over 100 people are killed or injured on the hard shoulder every year. We don’t want you to become one of those statistics; we want you to stay safe.