Smart motorways discontinued

Utilising the hard shoulder for safety on motorways

Road safety charity, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), welcomed the decision to scrap developing new smart motorways for safety reasons. RoSPA has campaigned for road safety for over a century and has highlighted the higher risk of collisions between stationary and moving vehicles on smart motorways compared to conventional ones, with road users calling for the return of the hard shoulder.

Road Safety Manager at RoSPA, stated drivers want the hard shoulder and motorists need to feel safe on roads. RoSPA welcomes plans to shelve construction of smart motorways and hopes the money will be used to make motorways safer in other ways. Live lane breakdowns can happen where a hard shoulder is in place, and it is only a relative place of safety. Collisions and injury can still occur, which is why RoSPA will continue to educate motorists on what to do in an emergency on the road.

Smart motorway safety feature investments are ongoing like the retrofit of emergency refuge areas.

RoSPA tips for encountering problems on the motorway: If a driver is on a motorway with a hard shoulder and needs to do an instant stop, use momentum to move over to the left lane and stop on the hard shoulder, turn on the hazards and ensure side lights are illuminated if it's dark. Be aware of changes in the car's handling, stop as far to the left as possible, get all occupants out of the car, and call for help using the nearest SOS phone. If the driver is on a smart motorway and can still drive, get to a service area or emergency refuge area. If they break down in a live lane, get the vehicle as far off the road as possible, turn on hazard lights, and get out of the vehicle on the left-hand side if it's safe, if not, stay in the car with the seatbelt on and call 999. www.rospa.com