Ana Borges, a woman who suffered life-changing injuries in a crash on a smart motorway criticised new plans for roadside emergency stopping areas. Recently, National Highways revealed plans for creating more than 150 roadside refuges in response to concerns about smart motorway safety. However, Ana believed the areas are inadequate to safeguard motorists, and the hard shoulder should be the place of safety. Ana’s car was hit by a lorry when it broke down on a hard shoulder, which was opened to traffic on the M1. She suffered spinal injuries, five broken ribs, and a broken chest bone in the accident. The hard shoulder she stopped on was being used as an extra lane to reduce congestion.
Mrs Borges stated that she could not reach the closest section of the unopened hard shoulder, which was less than half a mile up the road when the crash happened. Ana said that the new roadside emergency stopping areas would not help anyone who is stuck between them. The signs showed her that she was not far from the next bit of hard shoulder, but sadly, couldn’t reach it. Mrs Borges stated that smart motorways were a terrible idea and that there is a lack of safety. She said that if drivers have a breakdown, they panic, and it can be a death sentence, but drivers need to pray not to be hit.
According to National Highways project sponsor Felicity Clayton, they are committed to enhancing safety on all lane running and are investing in upgrading to make road users feel safe. They have also added more signs showing drivers the distance to the next place to stop in an emergency and included advice about smart motorways online and in an updated Highway Code. The investment is part of an up-gradation to help road users feel safer in their journey.
Recently, the government cancelled the building of new smart motorways due to safety concerns. A campaign to scrap existing smart motorway stretches was spearheaded by Claire Mercer, whose husband was killed in 2019 while exchanging details with another driver on a section of the M1 in South Yorkshire without a hard shoulder. These new schedules will serve as a safety protocol for all smart motorways
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