New signs that will let drivers know where they are if they break down or want to report a problem on the motorway are to be installed on the M23 in Surrey and Sussex from Thursday 16 April for 2 weeks .

Information on the new roadside driver location signs will help the Highways Agency and emergency services to pinpoint where people are when they call their control rooms. The signs tell road users which motorway they are driving on, the direction they are travelling in and exactly where they are on the motorway.

On the new signs:

- The first information given is the number of the motorway.

- There is a letter A or B which tells the Highways Agency or the emergency services which direction you are travelling. For example, on the M23, the A carriageway is southbound, or 'away' from London, and the B carriageway is northbound, or 'back' to London.

- The figure underneath the letter represents the distance in kilometres from the start of the motorway.

The signs will be positioned on the motorway verge near the hard shoulder and will help road users by showing them their exact position if they need to telephone emergency services, recovery or the Highways Agency's Regional Control Centre.

Martin Wright, Highways Agency Route Performance Manager for the M23 said:

"With many people using mobile phones to call for assistance these days, rather than the motorway emergency phones, it can be difficult to find a caller's exact location. If road users can tell us what is on the sign nearest to them, we can work out where they are on the motorway if they breakdown or need to report an incident.

"The new signs will mean the emergency services and Highways Agency Traffic Officers can respond to incidents more quickly and reduce the risk of secondary incidents, congestion and delay to other road users."

The signs are being installed along the whole length of the M23 and will be approximately 500 metres apart.

Source Highways Agency