GEM calls for smart motorway review
Road safety and breakdown cover company GEM Motoring Assist has urged the government to call a halt to the rollout of smart motorways until a safety review has been carried out.
Road safety officer Neil Worth said, ‘Motorways may be the fastest roads we use, but they are statistically also the safest; and there are fewer collisions on motorways than on other roads. However, the high speeds used on motorways mean that when there is a crash, it is likely to be more serious. That’s why on average around one in 50 motorway collisions is fatal, compared with one in 70 on all other roads.
We are also asking ministers and highways authorities specifically to call a halt to their rollout of smart motorways across the country until a proper review of safety has been completed and adequate refuge areas provided for drivers.
‘In order to maximise safety, we also urge drivers to ensure they know the rules and signs relating to smart motorways, which are becoming more commonplace.’
GEM says it is regrettable that in spite of the spread of smart motorways, there is still no specific advice contained in the Highway Code – a situation that is unacceptable, bearing in mind that so many motorists are being penalised every day for being at the wrong speed or in a closed lane.
Neil added, ‘Understanding how a smart motorway works, and knowing what to do if you are unfortunate enough to experience a breakdown in a stretch of smart motorway, could well prove a lifesaver.’
However Highways England Strategic Road Network states that it’s one of the safest in the world, where the network carries a third of all traffic and two-thirds of road freight equating to 95 billion road miles travelled per year.
Furthermore, Highways England’s own assessment has shown that the number of people harmed on the network continues to reduce with the number of collisions (8,846, 4.3% lower than 2017) and casualties (13,380, 5.9% lower than 2017).
According to the company, in 2018, there were 1,784 fatalities on Britain’s roads which include motorways, A roads and local roads; 250 of those deaths were on England’s strategic road network of motorways and major A roads. Of the 250, 107 were on motorways.
Regarding smart motorways, Highway England’s separate analysis of the all-lane running schemes continues to indicate that they are as safe as the wider motorway network.
Highway England furthered that smart motorways have places to stop in an emergency, including emergency areas, hard shoulders on junction slip roads and motorway service areas. Currently, these are a maximum of 1.5 miles apart. Highway England has the intention of reducing this distance on new smart motorway schemes (beginning construction in 2020) to one mile.
Highways England head of road safety Richard Leonard said: “Safety is the top priority for Highways England and we urge everyone who uses our roads to make it theirs too. Any death, on any type of road, is one too many. We’re working hard to improve England’s motorway and A roads and we need your help. We all have a role to play to make sure we all get home, safe and well and we’re asking all drivers to make their own safety, and that of other people, the most important thing to think about when they travel. Remember to check your vehicle, obey all signs and think about other drivers.”
