Highways England Traffic Officers aren't police, their lights flash amber - not blue - but that doesn't mean they can be taken lightly.
Because if you ignore them, you could still end up with a £1,000 fine, points on your licence or even a driving ban.
But most motorists simply don't realise what powers the people driving high-vis, yellow and green cars actually have.
“Traffic Officers have no powers to report motorists for driving offences," explained Mark Tongue, from Select Car Leasing .
“But disobey them at your peril. And if they see a driver behaving badly, which then in turn causes an accident, footage from CCTV cameras hidden inside their vehicles can be passed to police to secure a prosecution.”
As things stand, Highways England Traffic Officers patrol motorways and A-roads, working alongside more traditional police.
They’re tasked mainly with keeping traffic flowing, but have jurisdiction to stop vehicles on most motorways and some A roads to divert traffic away from a crash.
They are also allowed to pull you over over on safety grounds, for example if they think you’re carrying an load that's not properly secured.
Officers have the power to remove abandoned or damaged vehicles too, as well as support to cars that have broken down.
That said, while they can shift your car out of the way - it's generally only if you can't arrange a recovery truck to attend within a reasonable time or if the vehicle has been left unattended.
Traffic Officers also supply information for local travel reports and help clear debris from the roar.
But while they can't issue tickets themselves, failing to follow their direction is considered a punishable offence.
And if you don’t pull over and switch off your engine when asked, that could leave you £1,000 worse off and with points on your licence after they pass the details along to the police.
