Rijkswaterstaat to cut back on breakdown movements

Wednesday 19 June 2013
Rijkswaterstaat is working to drastically reduce the number of breakdown movements on motorways. The measure is a way to save money. During the first quarter of 2013, recovery companies carried out 6,978 breakdown movements on behalf of Rijkswaterstaat. This represented a fall of almost 35% as compared to the same quarter in 2012, when 10,433 vehicles were moved.

In the event of a breakdown movement, a stranded vehicle that represents a risk to other traffic is removed from the road and transported to a location where repairs can be carried out safely. The costs for these orders are borne by the road manager. In 2012, the total costs for breakdown movements amounted to €4 million. In 2013, the amount is expected to fall to €2.5 million.