Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to inform drivers who have stopped in the emergency area of a motorway of the requirement to use the emergency phones to ask permission to re-join the carriageway; and what penalties, if any, may be applied to drivers who fail to notify the appropriate body of their intention to re-join the motorway.

When a driver stops in an emergency area on an All Lane Running (ALR) motorway, Highways England provide an emergency roadside telephone and information on seeking assistance. This information is provided on a sign located next to the emergency telephone in every emergency area on the ALR sections of the Strategic Road Network (SRN). The updated Highway Code due to be published later this year will include reference to this sign for the first time (Rule 278).

There is no specific statutory offence linked to the content of the sign, that is, it is not mandatory for drivers to phone Highways England and ask permission before re-joining the main carriageway.

When re-joining the motorway from an emergency area, it is a driver’s responsibility to do in an appropriate manner, when safe to do so. However, Highways England operators can provide advice and practical support to drivers in re-joining the main carriageway, including monitoring CCTV, setting a red X lane closure and if necessary, dispatching Traffic Officers to assist on scene.