Dramatic footage shows the moment a piece of metal struck a road worker on the motorway after it flew off a passing HGV and hit his leg.
He is seen rolling along the road in pain after the item knocked him over. Fortunately, he did not suffer any serious injuries or broken bones.
The man was working on the central reservation on the M6 as part of the upgrade of the motorway between junctions 13 and 15 in Staffordshire when he was hit.
Bosses at Highway England have revealed that sadly this is not an isolated incident, with hundreds of items coming loose off vehicles every month.
From surfboards and bicycles to a fridge and oven, they have all been found on the side of the South West’s busiest roads in the past year.
The authority's figures show there were more than 3,500 items nationally on the M5, which serves Bristol, Portishead and Weston-super-Mare between June 2019 and April 2020.
Building or construction materials topped the list for the most dropped items.
In the South West, between June 2019 and April this year, there were 1,002 incidents of building/construction items obstructing major roads.
Meanwhile, there were 811 incidents of vehicle parts or accessories found over the same period and 395 household or garden items.
More than 46,000 items were found on England’s motorways and major A roads over just 10 months, 5,237 of which were in the South West.
Drivers urged to secure loads
With the summer staycation fast approaching, there will be thousands of drivers with loads such as bikes and roof boxes strapped to their vehicles. So today (Tuesday) Highways England is urging all drivers to make sure their items are safely secured.
On Road Team Manager Mark Snell, who is based in Hampshire, said: “We have had fence panels, a shed, tools, tool boxes, motorcycle bags and top boxes – the whole contents of one family’s top box was spread all over three lanes as they were on their way to a holiday in the West Country.”
While Rob Penney, Highways England’s South West Network Operations Manager, warned shed loads can close a road for several hours as well as putting people at risk.
He said: "So our advice is simple: Secure your load before you set out. It could prevent an accident and save lives.”
"As well as checking around your vehicle, for tyres, lights, fuel and oil etc, it’s important that people check any load – be it surfboards, bicycles or top boxes – is fastened securely before setting off on their journey - to ensure everyone gets to their destination safe and well.
“Following the lockdown, we’re expecting routes in the South West to be busy so we’re also advising people to plan their journeys and travel outside the peak Friday afternoon/evening and Saturday and Monday times where possible, take rests and don’t drive tired and make sure you carry sufficient food and drink and a charged mobile phone.”
Journey planning advice, including making sure vehicles are ready for the road, can be found here and advice on securing loads is available here.
