The Dutch Ministry of Transport and Public Works Rijkswaterstaat is starting a three-month pilot programme of a highway warning system to improve safety for road users.

Under this programme, roadside inspectors of the Rijkswaterstaat will warn road users of accidents and breakdowns on the highways through navigation and traffic applications.

Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment Melanie Schultz van Haegen said: "The safety of road users and road inspectors stands paramount at Rijswaterstaat. We continually strive to improve safety.

"Through navigation systems, Rijkswaterstaat can alert road users of road closures in a timely manner."

"Through navigation systems, Rijkswaterstaat can alert road users of road closures in a timely manner."

Rijkswaterstaat noted that notification of an accident or breakdown will be sent by the road inspectors, who will park their vehicle diagonally across the lane to secure the scene and prevent collisions with the stationary vehicles involved in the incident.

The inspectors will then send the GPS location coordinates via the cell phone network to the ministry’s Flister platform, where the information will be turned into traffic information.

Data provided by the inspectors will help road users who approach the location, as they will receive a warning of a road closure through their navigation system or traffic app.

Ten inspectors will be participating in the trial, which will be held on parts of the A1, A6, A27, A28 and N50 highways in and around Flevoland, the Netherlands.

After completion of the pilot programme, further assessment will be carried out to check whether the trial contributed to the safety of road users and road inspectors, following which a decision will be made on whether or not to extend the programme.