IT'S 9.30am on a blustery late winter morning as Highways Agency Toyota Land Cruiser, call sign November Echo 22, sweeps on to Carrville interchange towards the A1(M).

Crewed by traffic officers Dave Gaut, 36, and Carl Young, 33, the yellow-and-black Battenburg-liveried 4x4 quickly arrives at the scene of the day's second accident on their patch.

Two cars have been involved in a shunt in the outside lane of the southbound carriageway north of Bowburn.

Although the second car's airbag has deployed, no one has been hurt and both vehicles have been moved on to the hard shoulder.

With amber strobe lights flashing to warn other drivers, Dave and Carl reassure the two drivers, one of whom is badly shaken up.

They ensure that everyone stays safe and does not wander on to the carriageway, check that both parties have exchanged particulars and offer assistance in arranging recovery of the damaged vehicles.

Dave, from Seaham and a former heavy goods driver, said: "Before our introduction last December, the police would have been called to deal with this collision.

"But now, as it is non-injury, it becomes our responsibility. Police will still investigate collisions involving injury or if a crime may have been committed and Hatos will assist at the scene."

This is one example of how traffic officers are freeing up police resources and allowing them to focus on their core responsibilities of crime prevention, incident management and law enforcement.

For road users, this means a greater chance of being caught if they break the law!

As he resumes patrol, Carl, who previously worked in the timber and construction industry, said: "We have pretty good relationships with the police and we are finding that our presence has a positive effect on driver behaviour.

"One concern is that drivers don't leave enough stopping distance."
November Echo 22's next call is to help a pick-up driver whose load has shifted due to strong cross-winds.

His boss arrives shortly afterwards and discusses the situation on the hard shoulder.

Simultaneously, Dave and Carl see the two men standing on the offside of the pick-up, placing themselves in danger from passing traffic and quickly usher them to the verge.

"You've got to have eyes in the back of your head in this job," said Dave.

"People don't realise how dangerous motorways can be."

By the end of their shift, Dave and Carl have responded to about a dozen incidents – mainly of a routine nature involving vehicles stopped on the hard shoulder.

Dave said: "Although this was a relatively quiet shift, we're often extremely busy with one incident after another. We are usually first on scene at serious and fatal collisions and have to put our training to the test.

"Our first priority is always to prevent further accidents by protecting the scene, before rendering first aid to casualties."

Traffic officers receive intensive training in motorway procedures, driving techniques and first aid prior to taking to the road. Before becoming accredited to handle incidents other than on hard shoulders (known as "live lane working"), they must pass a stringent "on the job" assessment.

Amusing or unusual events at times add humour to a Hato's day. Carl recalled that while protecting a broken-down van, its driver had remarked: "By the way, I've got 60 coffins in the back. If anything happens, just throw me into one of them!"

Dave added: "Although it wasn't funny at the time, we were called to a young boy who had chased his dog on to the A1 at Lobley Hill. Fortunately, he was quickly taken into police care but the dog didn't give in so easily.

"With traffic at a standstill, the small terrier gave us the run-around. Every time we got near it, the dog would run in the opposite direction.

"Drivers were in fits of laughter as they watched us becoming more and more exhausted. Eventually we ushered it off the network, but it took two more calls that day before it was captured."

Traffic officers were created under the Traffic Management Act of 2004 to carry out certain traffic management tasks previously undertaken by the police.

These include stopping, diverting and directing traffic; closing roads, lanes and carriageways; placing and operating traffic signs and managing traffic at surveys. Soon, powers to remove abandoned or broken down vehicles from the network will be added.

Failure to comply with a Highways Agency traffic officer's directions or sign can lead to a fine of up to £1,000 and a licence endorsement or disqualification.

First introduced on England's motorways in Spring 2004, when they began working alongside police on West Midlands motorways, traffic officers now patrol the entire motorway network and some trunk roads.

England is divided into seven regions; each with its own regional control centre (RCC). Here, Highways Agency operators, assisted by police liaison officers, monitor road conditions, plan roadworks, allocate resources to incidents, manage diversions and key in data for regional variable message signs (VMS).

Based in the West Midlands, the National Traffic Control Centre (NTCC) collates information from the seven RCCs and relays this via traffic news media, the internet, telephone help lines and strategic VMS.

The North East Region covers Yorkshire, Humberside, Durham and Tyne and Wear, with a regional control centre (RCC) at Calder Park, Wakefield.
At Carrville, Durham – one of the region's five outstations – 20 traffic officers and four supervisors provide 24/7 cover on the A1(M) between Junction 58 (Burtree) and Junction 65 (Blackfell), the A194(M) and the A1 trunk road from Blackfell to Seaton Burn in North Tyneside.

Three high visibility patrol vehicles – a Nissan Patrol, Mitsubishi Shogun and Toyota Land Cruiser – are well equipped with a range of emergency equipment.

This includes assorted traffic signs, 20 road cones, nine amber LED warning lights, a large first aid kit, chemical spill kit, fire extinguisher, search lamp, crowbar and tow strap.

A brush and shovel for clearing up debris and a pole for catching stray animals are even carried. The welfare of stranded motorists is catered for with a supply of rain capes and thermal blankets.

Vehicles and officers are connected to the RCC by the latest digital radio technology which allows direct communication with police personnel.

The northern section of Carrville base's area includes the A1 Gateshead and Newcastle Western by-pass, where heavy congestion and absence of hard shoulders present unique challenges.

Dave urges motorists to allow patrols displaying flashing warning lights make progress through slow moving and stationary traffic: "The sooner we get to an accident or incident, the sooner the obstruction will be cleared and traffic will start moving again," he said.

Road users may sometimes see Hatos deploying rolling road closures to gradually slow down following traffic, before bringing it to a temporary halt to allow maintenance work or clearance of debris or an incident in safety.

Vehicles causing a hazard or danger to the network or travelling public may also be requested to pull over at a safe spot to rectify a fault, before continuing their journey, as in the case of an insecure load.

Janine Lloyd-Jones, press and public relations officer for the Highways Agency in the North East, reassures drivers about the role of the agency.

She said: "Traffic officers' prime aims are to keep traffic flowing on the region's motorways and keep road users safe.

"While there are no plans to grant enforcement powers to Hatos, officers will report dangerous driving or other serious breaches of the law to the police. In minor cases, friendly advice may be all that is required."

With the successful roll-out of traffic officers across the motorway network, busy trunk roads – such as the A19 – could also benefit from similar patrols.

Janine said: "It's a possibility in the future, but a long way off and a business case needs to be proved for the service first."

Local police forces have also given the thumbs up to the new service, which Superintendent Barry Knevitt, head of Durham Constabulary's Communications Department, describes as "a valuable asset which has made a real difference."

He said: "From our point of view, its introduction went very smoothly and involved joint training with our Road Policing Unit, linked in with the RCC. Live lane working has also been very important.

"It's been about building skills, experience, trust and confidence in doing what is a dangerous job.

"Although we no longer have a dedicated motorway unit, it has freed up resources by not having to bring vehicles onto the motorway unnecessarily."

Chief Inspector Kevin Wellden of Northumbria Police Operations Department, whose force polices the motorways and A1 trunk road within Tyne and Wear, said: "We find that these additional liveried vehicles do help with traffic management and traffic flow at peak times.

"Northumbria Police and the Highways Agency are working together to maximise the use of the Highways Agency traffic officers. We are considering expanding the area of their operation to other trunk roads in the future."

Keeping out highways as safe as possible

THE Highways Agency (established in 1994) is an executive agency of the Department for Transport and is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the strategic road network in England on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport.

* Nationally, almost 1,500 people are employed in the Traffic Officers Service, just under 200 of which are based in the North East (including on road, control room and support staff). About 15 per cent of Hatos are women.

* It cost £7.8million to set up the service in the North East, which has annual running costs of £8.7million.

* Traffic officers are paid an annual salary of just under £20,000 (including shift allowance).

* Regional patrol vehicles cover about 180,000 miles a year and patrol more than 620 miles of carriageway. Twelve vehicles are on duty during the day and six at night. Hatos deal with an average of 230 incidents every 24 hours.

* The first section of the A1(M) Durham Motorway (the Darlington by-pass), together with the A66(M) spur, was opened in 1965. The extension to Chester-le-Street was opened in1969, followed by the Birtley by-pass and the A194(M) in 1970.

* For further information about the Highways Agency and the work of its traffic officers, visit the agency's website at www.highways.gov.uk.