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They are a common sight on UK roads and they risk an accident at work virtually every minute of the day and night. They are the road workers that motorists probably all love to hate on our highways and by-ways.
Road workers came to mind because the government has launched a campaign to promote their work and urge motorists to respect our road workers.
It is perhaps not difficult to understand how the road worker has a generally poor reputation. Probably without exception, all drivers on Britain's roads face several delays on almost any journey. On many occasions, they can be many and involve waiting a considerable length of time before able to get moving again.
But what motorists seem to forget is that for road workers, the road is their office. While any driver passes through most roadworks in a matter of minutes, road workers are working at the tarmac face hour after hour. And there are more than 4,000 of them - about one for every mile of the road network - working day in, day out to keep the roads safe and well maintained for drivers.
Research shows that out of 600 near misses there is one death at roadworks. And among the rest of those near misses, there is likely to be 10 incidents that cause minor injuries as well as 30 events where damage occurs. Last year, 10 deaths were recorded, with 81 workers seriously injured.
To bring home the risks and dangerous nature of road working, a hard-hitting "Respect Our Road Workers" campaign has been launched by the Highways Agency and the Think! road safety campaign, among others, to better educate and inform the UK motoring public.
Included among the campaign materials is a short DVD. Narrated by Nick Ross, a popular television presenter well known for his work on BBC's Crimewatch programme, films are included that have been produced to try to explain why drivers must change any negative attitudes they may have towards the road men (and women), and demonstrate more respect for road workers.
Important scenes of the video include when a car crashes through a classroom, a hospital operating theatre during surgery and then into a road that is coned off protecting people who are at work - where the car hits a road worker.
To try to help raise awareness of the dangers faced by road workers in their daily workplace, the campaign highlights key safety messages for any driver to stick to near roadworks:
Driving safely through roadworks can save lives and prevent car accidents. Loss of life and serious injuries are very real threats, and so is physical and verbal abuse, when they are simply doing their job.
Nick Ross said, "Driving quickly through roadworks might not seem like a problem from inside your vehicle, but it's frighteningly quick if you're working on the carriageway, and careless driving represents a terrible danger to road workers."
Personally, when I think of roadworks, I think back to my youth and that legendary cartoon-type road worker character, Roddy the Roadman.
Remember him? Two-dimensional Roddy used to peel off his roadworks traffic warning sign and enjoy a host of exciting adventures as he wandered about the UK landscape, sometimes with friends from other road signs.
Now, come on - with that level of warmth and affection, it's time to cast aside road rage at the roadworks. There should be no need to call in the personal injury lawyers.
How can anyone really be disparaging about roadworkers? They help keep the arteries and veins of this nation's transport network in good health, ensuring motorists and their vehicles can get from A-to-B virtually trouble-free. They deserve a big thumbs up next time you're passing - not an accident at work, or even death.
