Drivers entering closed roadworks to avoid queues are creating a serious risk for road workers, other road users and themselves.
Figures reported by National Highways show 814 incursions into restricted work areas on England’s motorways and major A-roads between January and July 2026. Of those incidents, 53% involved drivers deliberately trying to avoid a queue, closure or diversion. That equates to more than 400 deliberate entries in seven months, The Guardian reported on 18 September 2026.
National Highways says approximately 30 incursions a week are being recorded. Released footage included incidents that resulted in prosecutions and driving bans. On the M1 in Hertfordshire, repeated incursions reportedly led to a complete motorway closure and a 10-mile diversion to protect workers.
These figures do not show how many incidents involved commercial vehicles, and they should not be used to blame fleet drivers as a group. They do, however, expose a risk that every business operating vans, pickups, lorries or company cars should address: what will a driver do when a planned route is closed and the schedule starts slipping?
Why a closed road must stay closed
A gap between cones is not an invitation to proceed. A work area may contain people, excavations, incomplete surfacing or moving machinery. A closure may also protect an incident scene or emergency access.
The Highway Code tells drivers to observe all roadworks signs, comply with temporary speed limits and never drive through an area marked off by traffic cones. It also warns drivers not to follow a works vehicle through an access point into a site.
Workers may not be visible from the live carriageway. That does not mean the closure is unnecessary or that the route ahead is passable.
For an employer, the answer cannot simply be “our drivers should know better”. HSE guidance identifies roadworks, congestion and time pressure as foreseeable risks in driving for work. The journey, schedule and escalation process all need to support the safe decision.
Seven actions for fleet managers
1. Put the rule in writing
The driving-for-work policy should state clearly that drivers must obey road closures, red X signals, temporary traffic controls and directions from police, traffic officers and road workers.
It should prohibit moving cones, passing barriers, following works vehicles into a site or using a closed lane to get ahead of traffic. The rule must apply even when a sat-nav shows the route as open or another road user enters first.
2. Build delay into the schedule
Unsafe shortcuts often begin with pressure to arrive at a fixed time.
Review whether delivery windows, engineer appointments or depot targets allow for foreseeable congestion and diversions. HSE says employers should plan safe journeys, consider timing and road conditions, and allow drivers enough time.
A manager who says “do not rush” but questions every late arrival sends two different messages. Record road closures as legitimate operational delays and make that position clear to dispatchers and customers.
3. Check closures before departure
For journeys using England’s strategic road network, National Highways publishes planned full closures and says schedules can change at short notice.
Before departure, the person planning the route should check:
- Planned closures and overnight works
- Whether the diversion suits the vehicle, its dimensions and load
- Low bridges, narrow roads and weak structures
- Available fuel or charging stops
- Safe rest and welfare locations
- A practical alternative if the first diversion becomes blocked
Do not depend entirely on in-vehicle navigation. HSE warns that map data may not be current, while a car route may be unsuitable for a large van, pickup and trailer or HGV.
4. Give drivers a live escalation route
A driver facing an unexpected closure should know who to contact and what authority they have.
Provide a monitored manager number and allow the driver to stop safely before discussing a new route. Permit rescheduling when a diversion is unsafe, restricted or incompatible with drivers’ hours.
Calls, texts and route searches must not be carried out while driving. If no safe stopping place is available, the driver should continue following the signed route until one can be used lawfully.
5. Explain what to do after a mistake or breakdown
Drivers should never continue deeper into a restricted area in the hope of finding an exit, reverse into live traffic or move traffic-management equipment themselves.
If somebody enters in error, they should follow instructions from road workers, traffic officers or police and report the event when safe.
The Highway Code gives separate advice for breakdowns in roadworks. Where a signed roadworks refuge is available, drivers should use it and follow the applicable breakdown procedure. Fleet briefings should distinguish a genuine breakdown or navigational error from a deliberate attempt to gain an advantage.
6. Investigate pressure, not only conduct
A closure incursion or near miss requires prompt investigation. Establish what the driver saw, what navigation displayed, dispatch instructions and whether the schedule was realistic.
Review:
- Dashcam or telematics information where its use is lawful and proportionate
- Call and dispatch records
- The planned and actual route
- Delivery promises made to the customer
- Driver hours, fatigue and rest opportunities
- Previous reports about the same location
Deliberate misconduct must be addressed, but the investigation should also identify organisational pressures that could make a repeat more likely.
7. Keep the cab ready for changing conditions
Roadworks demand attention. Loose equipment, obscured glass or an unsecured phone adds distraction when signs and works traffic require careful observation.
Make clear footwells, secure equipment, clean glass and correctly adjusted mirrors part of the daily check. Any seat cover or cab accessory must suit the actual vehicle and must not obstruct seatbelts, airbags, controls, sensors or adjustment.
Farm Packs supplies heavy-duty seat covers for working vehicles, including vans, pickups and 4x4s and lorries. If a wider fleet review includes cab protection, check the real seat configuration before ordering. Seat protection can support day-to-day cleanliness; it cannot compensate for poor journey planning or unsafe driving.
A five-minute driver briefing
Before the next shift, ask every driver to confirm five points:
- A closed lane or coned area is never a shortcut.
- Signed diversions take priority over the sat-nav.
- Delay must be reported, not recovered by speeding or taking risks.
- Route changes and calls are handled only from a safe stopping place.
- Errors, incursions and near misses must be reported promptly.
National Highways’ figures are a warning about individual decisions, but they are also a test of fleet culture. Drivers are more likely to make the safe choice when routes are checked, schedules contain realistic margins and managers support them when a closure makes the original plan impossible.
The aim is simple: no delivery, appointment or journey is important enough to enter a road that has been closed to protect people at work.
This article provides general information and does not replace the Highway Code, official traffic instructions, a driving-for-work risk assessment or competent road-safety advice.
Sources
The Guardian: Drivers ignoring roadwork closures to skip queues “wilfully putting lives at risk” — 18 September 2026
National Highways: Daily road closure report — updated 17 September 2026; accessed 18 September 2026
GOV.UK: The Highway Code — road works, rules 288 to 290 — updated 22 October 2025; accessed 18 September 2026
HSE: Plan and manage journeys for work — accessed 18 September 2026
