So I've spilt something, what now?

Driving to work often gives time to think and reflect the world around us and this morning was no exeption, I spend most Friday nights and Monday mornings stuck in traffic jams caused by roadworks. Roadworks that have an allowance to cause more than 196,000 people daily problems, yes thats right the magical M25. It was in the average speed camera - lane widening roadworks section at 6am this morning that the traffic announcement kicked in on the radio and said "Problems on the M2 caused by a person in the road". I thought this could well be a problem and was glad that everyday motorway driving didn't also involve dodging members of the public. 10 minutes later the problem on the M2 had developed into a fuel spill. I wondered was this person trying to stop other drivers going through the potentially dangerous liquid or were they in just a state of panic?

What would you do?

Here is what I have found out so far:

A fuel spillage on the M2 caused traffic mayhem during Monday's rush hour.
Lanes one and two of the London-bound carriageway were closed at junction three (Chatham) after hundreds of litres of diesel from a tanker spilled onto the road after a crash.
It is thought one of the vehicle's tyres burst.
A spokesman for Strood fire station said it looked like the driver lost control of the vehicle and it mounted the grass verge. It then crashed through the barrier damaging the fuel tank.
Motorist Luke Hollands, from Gillingham, said: "It was terrible, the traffic was queued back miles past junction four. You could smell diesel wafting over the traffic."
At around 8.30am a Highways Agency spokesman said the road could be cleared in 90 minutes, although it may take longer if the road needs resurfacing.

So what do you do? Call the police?
Hi i'd like to report an accident, I've lost my diesel tank. Is there a national number to call?

Through a brief search I was amazed to find statistics about diesel spills on roads, between 2000 and 2005 there were 3637 accidents as a result of oil or diesel spilt on the road, 617 resulted in death or serious injury. In 2005 alone there were two or more oil or diesel spill related accidents every single day, and that is just the ones that got reported.

One way this may be reduced is readily available spill kits. For example part of the ADR regulations is to have a vehicle mounted spill kit, but this only affects heavy goods vehicles. Spill kits could be placed at intervals on motorways, maybe not for the public use , but it may help speed up response time and free up valuable space within highways agency vehicles. Have you ever seen a car spill kit for sale at a motorway service station or Halfords for example?

While still sat in traffic I noticed that in between the roadworks section was a wheelie bin spill kit (Emergency), only 1 through the 6miles or so of construction work, countless IBCs and vehicles were at the roadside but just one spill kit, I dread to think but I see a day where a spill caused by roadworks/construction work on the M25 escapes into the road and therefore brings traffic to a total standstill. These are areas where containment is not a suggestion or a guideline, sometimes in certain situations it can or could help save lives.