Nearly 20,000 motorists have broken down in motorway live lines over the last two years alone. It raises questions as to the safety of the ‘smart motorway’ format…
Stranded Drivers
Research conducted by Highways England has revealed that, on average, 26 drivers break down in live lanes on motorways daily. That means 19,000 drivers have faced the daunting prospect over the last two years alone. This is a product of the smart motorway format, in which hard shoulders are used as open lanes or are removed entirely. As a result, in the event of a breakdown, there are often no refuge areas for stranded motorists. Between 2017 and 2018, there were 51,109 breakdowns on all lane running (ALR) sections of motorways. The majority, 28,547, were able to reach refuge zones. But this left 38% of them, then, without access to one.
The lack of a hard shoulder has caused controversy. Campaigners and safety charities have expressed concerns about the safety of smart motorways. Highways England, however, has stressed that they’re not only more efficient, but safer; claiming fatalities have actually decreased since they’ve been used. But, on average, it takes 17 minutes for a rescue crew to reach stranded drivers in areas not covered by stopped vehicle detection systems. Jim O’Sullivan, chief executive at Highways England, insists the smart model is safe. He said, “we recognise that safety is not just about being safe. We will continue to work with road users, motoring groups and the recovery industry on these important issues”.
Smart Motorways Under Fire
Unfortunately for Highways England, freedom of information act requests have cast at least some doubt on their claims. One request submitted by the AA revealed that ARL smart motorways cover 135.1 miles. But only 24.2 miles of this are covered by a system that automatically detects when vehicles breakdown. It also takes three minutes to close down a lane with digital red ‘x’ signs. All of this is at odds with official, government-submitted evidence suggesting the smart format is safe or safer.
The fact of the matter is that England’s road network has become congested and costly to maintain. More importantly, the construction of new roads is even more expensive. A cynic, then, might argue that Highways England has simply removed hard shoulders, using them as live lanes, because it’s cheaper and quicker. Regardless, thousands of people are finding themselves broken down on motorways with hundreds of vehicles hurtling past them at incredibly high speeds. Sometimes this has, unfortunately, ended in tragedy. Despite the AA’s own enquiries, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see the back of smart motorways. The government is planning to convert more of the road network and plans are already underway. But the need for better monitoring, faster response times and more refuge areas is clear.
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