Following the recent bad weather, the Operations Division of the Department of Infrastructure has been attending to flooding, damaged roads and fallen trees to ensure that the Island’s roads are kept safe. 

Often working in the road in poor visibility and severe weather conditions, roadworkers are frequently and increasingly being put at risk by motorists driving recklessly.  There have been recent cases of motorists deliberately driving at workers in order to soak them in flood water.   The Department finds this dangerous behaviour totally unacceptable.
 
The Department understands that all drivers occasionally make mistakes when driving.   This is not what we are describing here.   This is motorists driving in a reckless manner in order to deliberately cause harm to roadworkers.

Minister for Infrastructure, David Cretney MHK said: ‘The way that some motorists drive through road works and past our workers is really not acceptable.   Speed limits are imposed for a reason.  Working in the road is dangerous and that danger is increased when the very people you are trying to help have no respect for your personal safety.  The men who work on our roads are fathers, sons and brothers, imagine how you would feel knowing that your loved ones were being put at such risk by careless, malicious or selfish drivers.   We will be notifying the Police of any incidences of such driving behaviour through our works and past our workers and will be actively pursuing prosecution.’
 
The Department of Infrastructure is reminding motorists to slow down and be aware of the safety of roadworkers at all times, but especially during winter months when workers are attending to problems often in dark and very wet conditions, to the benefit of the public.