FAILING to obey directions from a motorway traffic officer can land you with a hefty fine and points on your licence.
And if you intentionally ignore them you could even be hit with a lengthy driving ban.
Highways England traffic officers have the power to stop vehicles when diverting traffic away from a motorway crash.
While they can't fine drivers for common offences, like speeding or using their mobile, they can pull you over if you carrying an insecure load.
And if you fail to follow their instructions, you could find yourself in trouble with the police.
Under the Road Traffic Management Act 2004, drivers who fail to obey directions from a traffic officer can be hit with a maximum £1,000 fine, penalty points and even a driving ban.
And if they witness an accident which was caused by dangerous driving, such as tailgating, they can pass the footage captured by on-board CCTV cameras onto police.
Depending on the severity of the offence, you can then be charged with careless driving which carries a maximum £5,000 fine, driving ban and prison sentence.
An Ilkeston driver was hit with three penalty points and fined £155 in 2008 after he was found guilty of failing to follow directions from a traffic officer.
Mark Tongue, director of Select Car Leasing, said: "Most drivers will have, at some point on their travels, taken a deep breath, released their foot from the floor and checked their speed upon seeing a traffic officer.
"From a distance, they are easily mistaken for the police, and perhaps that’s no bad thing if it means motorists become more mindful of their speed and behaviour.
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"The problem is that there is a lot of uncertainty from the driving public about the role and power of traffic officers, and it is time this changed.
"Traffic Officers have no powers to report motorists for driving offences.
"But disobey them at your peril. And if they see a driver behaving badly, which then in turn causes an accident, footage from CCTV cameras hidden inside their vehicles can be passed to police to secure a prosecution."
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