Drivers warned of 'deadly' lay-bys

Holidaymakers heading for destinations in the UK by road have been warned to take care in "deadly" lay-bys.

Nearly two-thirds of fatal accidents involving stopped vehicles on a dual carriageway happen in a lay-by, according to a study from the AA Motoring Trust.

In the past year at least six people have died in lay-by crashes in the UK, the trust said. More than half of the vehicles involved were lorries.

The trust added that drivers should stay out of lay-bys that are not separated from the main road by a kerbed island.

The trust's study, co-funded by the Highways Agency, surveyed lay-bys along two busy holiday routes leading to resorts in south and south-west England, the A303 and the A34.

Unprotected lay-bys, those without a curbed island, outnumbered protected ones by nearly four to one on the A34, and by more than two to one on the A303.

Andrew Howard, the head of road safety at the AA Motoring Trust said: "Recently, a colleague was on a coach when the driver mistook an unprotected lay-by for the inside lane and it took shouts from the passengers to alert the driver.

"Other drivers haven't been so lucky and have driven at speed into the back of stationary lorries."