Commenting on the latest update on Smart motorways by National
Highways*, Edmund King, AA president, said: “While it is good to
see progress in implementing further safety measures on smart
motorways, our view all along has been that these motorways
should never have been rolled out without these measures in place
to start with, which is why we pleased that many of the actions
the AA called for are now being implemented.
“The latest data backs up why we called continuously for more
ERAs and better radar systems. The five-year average shows that
when a vehicle is stopped in a live lane of any form of smart
motorway, it is worse across all safety metrics when compared to
a motorway with a permanent hard shoulder**. We have seen
progress with 100-mile roll out of Stopped Vehicle Detection but
a recent serious incident on the M3, where a bridge seems to have
prevented the radar working, reminds us that it is not
infallible.
“Last month, more than eight out of 10 drivers (82%***) told us
they would find breaking down on a smart motorway a stressful
experience compared to just 57% who would be stressed breaking
down on a motorway with a permanent hard shoulder. This clearly
shows that most drivers are still not convinced that removing the
hard shoulder is a smart move. We will continue monitoring and
pressing for improvements.”
ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
* https://nationalhighways.co.uk/media/jdopsw2v/smart-motorways-stocktake-second-year-progress-report-2022.pdf
** Taken from page 51 of the above report
*** AA Yonder Driver Poll, April 2022. 13,935 respondents.
