You are here

17.2.2 What does 'interrupted travel' mean?

Document

The Concise Oxford Dictionary gives the following definition of 'interrupt':

1 act so as to break the continuous progress of (an action, speech, a person speaking, etc.) ...3 break the continuity of.

An interruption can only occur if a journey has already commenced and can best be seen as a distinct break in that particular journey.

Delegates should collect the following information before establishing whether or not an interruption to the member's journey has occurred:

  • a map of the journey taken, including where it was intended to finish
  • how long the interruption was for
  • how long the complete journey would usually take
  • the reason for the interruption, particularly if factors outside the control of the client contributed to the interruption.

On the basis of this information, a judgment should be made whether an interruption has occurred or whether the deviation is better characterised as part of the overall journey.

Note that a journey should not be considered to be 'interrupted' if the client is unable to continue the intended journey because of travel factors outside his or her control (e.g. a blocked road, mechanical breakdown, etc.) and changes to a different mode of travel.