Shoulder uncertainty

More than half of UK motorists have admitted to avoiding the hard shoulder of smart motorways when it is open to traffic, a new survey has revealed.

In a survey of more than 2,000 UK drivers, 56% admitted to avoiding the hard shoulder on smart motorways at some point, even if overhead gantries said that it was open for use.

Almost a third of those who said they avoid an open hard shoulder said they did so because they weren’t sure when to use it, while a quarter said that they were concerned a stationary vehicle could be ahead.

Roger Griggs, communications director of Kwik Fit, the company behind the findings, said: “These findings reflect the concerns and uncertainty that many drivers have when driving on smart motorways.”