Review urged of road accident closure times

Such closures account for an estimated quarter of all congestion and cost the country more than 5bn a year, the foundation said.

It added that although it was vital police properly investigated fatal accidents, this had to be set against a requirement to keep traffic moving.

The foundation said that in the last three months of 2008, there were 86 closures of English motorways lasting more than three hours. Yet for the whole year across Britain there were only 136 fatal motorway crashes.

A report by former Whitehall transport expert Irving Yass said police authorities should maintain 24-hour cover by specialist teams and accidents should be investigated by the nearest team even if it was from a neighbouring force.