AN increase in the number of construction worker deaths on UK main roads this year has prompted pleas for company motorists to slow down when passing through roadworks.

So far this year, four workers have been killed, compared to one for the whole of 2004. A total of five people have been seriously injured, compared to 17 injuries in 2004.

Road users including company car drivers are now being urged to drive with care and consideration and slow down near roadworks, keep within speed limits and pay attention to road signs and work traffic.

A Highways Agency engineer revealed recently that some motorists had thrown bottles of urine at roadworking teams because they had suffered long delays (Fleet NewsNet, July 7).

Commenting on the death toll, traffic operations director Derek Turner said: ‘Roadworkers on motorways and major A-roads are a vulnerable group of workers. We appeal to drivers to slow down when approaching roadworks and obey signs and speed limits.’