A driver who ran out of petrol leaving his silver van parked in the fast lane of the M60 in Salford is just one of hundreds to make the same mistake in the last 12 months.
The hold-up happened on the clockwise carriageway between Junctions 15 for the M61 and Junction 16 at Pendlebury.
But new figures released today from Highways England suggest over 350 drivers in the last year have run out of fuel on the motorway.
The authority has had resort to reminding drivers to fill up their tanks using new electronic message signs installed as part of the £202 million ‘smart motorway’ upgrades.
In total, since March 2015, 354 drivers have let their tanks run dry on the 17-mile route, between Junction 8 at Sale and Junction 20 near Rochdale.
Highways England Programme Manager Stephen Hill said: “Running out of fuel is the easiest cause of breakdown to avoid and some simple planning can save drivers the hassle of coming to a halt on the motorway, causing disruption to hundreds of other drivers.
“We’re asking all drivers to help us reduce the number of incidents within the roadworks section by checking their fuel when there is still an opportunity to top up, and checking their vehicle is roadworthy.
“Sitting at the head of a queue of unhappy drivers while you wait to be rescued is not an experience that people wish to repeat.”
Congestion can quickly build behind stationary vehicles as this second video shows.
In the last 12 months there have been 4,694 breakdowns on the smart motorway route.
24 drivers were also forced to stop for putting the wrong fuel in their vehicles.
The smart motorway scheme is expected to be completed by autumn 2017.
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