Staying Safe on Motorways

Staying Safe on our Motorways

Between 2020 and 2022 there has been 110 road casualties, killed or seriously injured on our motorway network in Greater Manchester. Casualty data taken from TFGM Data Base Collision Records,  supplied by GMP and validated by Surveys Research & Analysis Department. 

Read our useful tips on keeping you safe, whilst travelling on the motorway.

Drive Safe

• Belt up - Seat Belts save lives

• Avoid distractions, keep your eyes on the road at all times

• Don't drink drive, remember you could still be over the limit the next day

• Check your speed, the speed limit is not a target. In some road conditions, including fog and rain, even driving at the speed limit could be too fast

2 Second Rule

To use the rule, drivers should allow the vehicle in front to pass a fixed object, such as a lamp post or a road sign, then count to two seconds. If they reach two seconds before reaching the reference marker, they need to drop back. This advice is for dry conditions, if the weather is poor, you should leave a bigger gap.

Tips for Motorway Driving

• Never drive in a lane closed by a red X

• Keep to the speed limits shown on the gantries or signs

• A hard shoulder is always identified by a solid white unbroken line, if there is no speed limit displayed about it or a red x is displayed, do not use it, except in an emergency

Smart Motorways

Around 10 per cent of the motorway network is now made up of smart motorways. So it's important to be able to recognise their features and how they work  together.

A Red X Sign is used to identify when a lane is closed and indicates that drivers should move into an open lane to continue their journey. They are used on Smart motorways and other major routes to help manage traffic incidents, effectively and efficiently.

Have you noticed the Red X Signal when driving on Motorways? (National Highways website)

Travel Alerts (Traffic England website)

If you prefer to contact the Customer Service  Teams at Highways England, they are available 24/7 and can be contacted by phone or email as below

Call 0300 123 5000 or Email info@nationalhighways.co.uk