Smart motorways put three drivers a day at risk, says AA

NEARLY three motorists a day are being placed at risk after being stranded on stretches of the controversial smart motorway network, a study has found.

The AA says over a two-year period more than 2,220 breakdowns have occurred on a 13-mile stretch of the M3 where the hard shoulder has been converted to a live lane.

The AA has called for a doubling of the number of emergency refuge areas on smart motorways to reduce the risk of drivers running into the back of stationary vehicles.

It has pointed to statistics showing it takes on average 17 minutes for Highways England officials to spot a broken down car or lorry, and to close the lane and alert other motorists.

Edmund King, the president of the AA, said: “While some lane closures are inevitable, many of the 2,200 breakdowns could have found a safer place to stop if there were more emergency lay-bys.” The study found that between August 2017 and October 2019 there were 2,227 breakdowns on the M3 between Junction 2 and 4a, 271 collisions and 158 obstructions, 15 fires and 12 instances of straying animals.

Figures show 38 drivers have died on smart motorways in the last five years, with several victims struck by other vehicles after they broke down in speeding traffic and were unable to reach a safe place to stop.

Four people were killed on the M1 over 10 months after stopping in live lanes on a 16-mile stretch where the hard shoulder had been removed.

The AA says double the number of emergency refuge areas were required to reduce such accidents on the smart motorway network.

The AA also claims smart motorways have increased congestion because of the absence of a hard shoulder, with breakdowns in live lanes on the M3 alone creating more than 945 hours of disruption over the two-year period.