1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196 
Why do kids
Page 18
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
throw things?
THE HIGHWAYS AGENCY has commissioned a year-long study into why youngsters throw objects at passing vehicles.
The research by the TRL consultancy follows several highprofile attacks on commercial vehicles, including one in which driver Michael Little was hit with a brick and died shortly afterwards of a heart attack.
Senior TRL project manager Pat Wells says: "It's really to look at why people are doing this and get a handle on what sort of interventions we could use."
She adds that solutions might include CCTV and placing cages around bridges: "Another possibility is to ensure that there aren't any objects or debris lying around to throw. But if there is any planning involved then that isn't going to make any difference."
Wells warns that the research will be a slow process because it involves talking to youngsters who have committed the offence: "This has to be done sensitively to get anything useful.
Surrey appears to be a particular black spot for this strain of vandalism, with 200 reports of objects being thrown at traffic last year — the equivalent of one each school day.