The large and eye catching Vehicle Incursion Airbag is intended to deter motorists from mistakenly driving into work sites and putting road workers at risk.

Its first deployment will be on a slip road at the A45/A46 Stivichall interchange in Coventry during roadworks later this month, with the trial being carried out alongside contractor Kier.

“Our road workers report approximately 240 incidents of vehicle incursions each month,” said Highways England’s Midlands innovation manager Lisa Maric. “It is a far too frequent hazard for our workforce going about their daily job – and the consequences could be fatal.”

She added: “We hope these airbags will go some way to protecting our workers but also help change drivers’ behaviours.”

The barriers can be inflated in under 10 minutes and will be deployed in addition to cones and signs. This month’s trial is funded through Highways England’s designated funds programme, with further tests expected to be carried out across different temporary traffic management scenarios.

Kier Highways senior project manager Mark Sheppard said: “The Vehicle Incursion Airbag project will give us a great opportunity to trial something a little bit different, to supplement the standard approach to road worker protection measures.”

Highways England is also carrying out trials of an automated cone laying vehicle to help protect road workers, which saw its first on road tests last month on the A5 and M54 in Shropshire. Further testing is set to take place on the M4 in Berkshire.

(Photograph: Highways England)