Meet the traffic officers keeping our roads safe on Christmas Day
While most of the country will be tucked up in bed awaiting Santa's arrival, Tony Phipps will spend the early hours of Christmas Day looking out for stranded motorists.
A time of rest, good cheer, and bonhomie, it maybe, but Tony is all to aware that accidents and breakdowns do not stop for the festive season.
Tony, a traffic officer at Highways England for the past 10 years, will spend much of the night patrolling the motorways and trunk roads of the West Midlands in one of the organisation's familiar yellow-and-white vehicles, with their orange roof lights.
“Working over Christmas and bank holidays is part of the job,” says Tony.
An on-road team manager, based at the regional control room in Quinton, Tony will clock on for duty at 10pm on Christmas Eve, and will finish at 6am on Christmas Day for a few hours of much-needed sleep. Then he will begin the festivities by cooking Christmas dinner for seven.
While the traffic is usually relatively light over the Christmas holiday, there is still plenty to keep the officers busy. Last year, they attended 600 incidents on Christmas Day, 343 of them being breakdowns. There were also 24 collisions and 17 incidents involving animals on the network, two of which were in the West Midlands.
Don't run out of fuel
Tony, who hands over to colleagues Andy Aucock and Kelly Rudge at the end of his shift, expects the roads to be busier than many might think.
“People leave early to beat the traffic or because they have long distances to go to get to family," he say. "Unfortunately we have seen some serious incidents and people do break down.”
Andy, who has spent many a Christmas Day on patrol during his 14 years as an officer, says people forgetting to fill up with petrol is a common cause of mishaps.
“On Christmas Day it is going to be a struggle to find anywhere open, you don’t want to run out of fuel and break down," he warns. "You will miss your Christmas dinner.
"If people break down on Christmas Day they are usually in a place they are not familiar with and they are relying on us to be there to help them out.”
Tony says many of the mishaps can be avoided if motorists check their cars before they set out on long journeys.
"People are very busy at Christmas with 101 things on their mind, and carrying out these important car checks might not get done,” he says.
Checks
The officers say a few simple checks can help people avoid being stuck at the roadside.
Kelly, a traffic officer for 11 years, says she does not mind the early shift too much, as it gives her the rest of the day to spend with the family.
“It is important that we are out there because people need reassurance," she says.
"If they break down on Christmas Day, there aren’t so many people about and they think nobody is going to come to help them but don’t worry, we will get to you.”
She advises travellers to make sure they have a blanket, water and food just in case they do break down on their trip.
Andy says once he finishes work, he will be treated to dinner by his son, and his daughter will also be home for Christmas.
“My children are grown up so I leave the late shift for the guys with young children who want to be there to watch them open their presents,” he says.
Last year, traffic officers responded to 310 collisions on England’s motorways during the four days before Christmas Day – almost half of the total number of collisions during the 12-day festive season as people made their way across the country to see friends and family.
The Friday and Saturday before Christmas were also the most common days for motorway breakdowns, with traffic officers helping 610 drivers whose vehicles experienced faults during the two days.
Here are some of the officers' tips for a hassle-free journey over Christmas:
Lights: Ask someone to help you check all your lights, including your brake and reverse lights, are working properly before setting off.
Oil: Use a dipstick to check you have enough oil and prevent your engine from seizing up.
Fuel: Always keep your fuel tank at least a quarter full and fill it up to the top ahead of a long journey.
Tyres: Check the pressure and tread depth of your tyres to make sure they are safe and roadworthy.
Screen wash: Keep your screen wash container topped up so you can clear dirt off your windscreen.
Highways England also advises drivers to pay attention to messages on the overhead electronic signs and listen for radio updates during severe weather over the festive season.
For more information see the website www.trafficengland.com, follow Highways England on Twitter at @highwaysWMIDS or telephone the Highways England Information Line on 0300 123 5000.
