Land Rover helps Highways Agency to keep traffic moving

Land Rover is supplying 49 of its vehicles to the Highways Agency, the organisation responsible for maintaining and operating England’s motorways and major ‘A’ roads.

The new Discovery 3 vehicles will replace existing Land Rovers from the agency’s fleet which have been used by its uniformed Traffic Officers, who patrol the motorways day and night helping to keep the traffic moving. The vehicles have been used intensively in recent months to cope with the disruption caused by this summer’s floods. In the last 18 months, each vehicle has clocked up approximately 213,000 miles of use.

Land Rovers are selected by the Highways Agency for their towing and load carrying capabilities, good all round visibility and their capacity to cope with a variety of adverse weather conditions, such as snow, ice or floods. The 4x4s assist Traffic Officers in dealing with accidents, carriageway debris and broken down vehicles.

Since August 2006, Land Rover has delivered a training programme for the agency, which all Traffic Officers must complete. Seven Land Rover Experience off-road centres run the 'Adverse Weather Conditions Driving Course’ which has been designed to ensure that all officers have the knowledge and ability to use the vehicles safely and effectively, and in all weather conditions.

The training programme adheres to Land Rover’s Fragile Earth policy, which incorporates an off-road code for responsible driving and actively encourages the use of environmentally conscious practices.

Land Rover’s UK Marketing Director, Andy Griffiths, said: “With nearly 60 years of experience, in overcoming the elements and negotiating any terrain, Land Rover has a wealth of experience to share.

“The training programme has been specially developed with the needs of the Traffic Officers in mind and has been designed to ensure that Officers are ready to cope with the worst that the British weather can throw at them.”

Land Rover works with emergency services, police, and ambulance teams across the country. The company supplies a quarter of the global aid agency market and is involved in numerous important conservation programmes worldwide, which are hugely beneficial to local communities. Without the use of Land Rovers, some of their rescue missions or emergency operations would be impossible.