Most drivers don’t feel safe on smart motorways. Just 9% feel relaxed or safe driving on a smart motorway, according to a new poll of 17,171 drivers published by the AA today (27).
This poll comes on the day BBC Panorama will air its investigation into the dangers of smart motorways.
The AA president, AA patrols and dash cam footage filmed by the AA will feature in this edition of Panorama tonight. The AA has been campaigning for more than six years for double the number of emergency refuge areas (in effect restoring the original safety level on the M42 pilot scheme) and other safety improvements on smart motorways.
Other AA Populus findings illustrate confusion and uncertainty from the public about smart motorways.
11% don’t understand the term smart motorway.
12% don’t understand All Lane Running.
18% don’t understand Dynamic Hard Shoulder.
8% don’t understand the term Emergency Refuge Area (ERA).
57% disagree that the public has been well-informed by Highways England about the different types of motorway.
42% think the AA has done a lot to publicise the differences.
Perhaps more of a worry is the total lack of trust in the new system from most drivers. Just 12% think smart motorways are as safe as traditional motorways and that more should be built. One in four (42%) have such concerns that the building of smart motorways should be halted until a new study has been completed. Whilst a further 15% think they should just be scrapped. One third are unclear or have no opinion.
When asked “If your car suffered a front wheel puncture while driving in lane 2 of a quiet motorway without a hard shoulder, how far do you think you would be prepared to drive on (to an emergency refuge area or exit indicated by signs) rather than stop in lane one or two?”
40% said up to 0.25 mile
26% said up to 0.5 mile
3% said up to 0.75 mile
Just 11% would drive 1.5 miles or more.
Yet most Emergency Refuge Areas are spaced approximately 1.5 miles apart so most drivers won’t make it to an ERA so would end up stopping in a live lane. The AA has consistently argued for ERAs every ¾ of a mile.
Edmund King OBE, AA president, said: “Drivers don’t trust smart motorways and with 38% of breakdowns occurring in live lanes that is not surprising.
“There is much confusion and fear out there. If the Government is not going back to the drawing board to reinstate the hard shoulder, then the least they can do is to double the number of emergency refuge areas to every three-quarters of a mile. The current system is not fit for purpose and too many tragic and avoidable deaths are occurring.
“It is no consolation to the grieving families when the Government repeats that these smart motorways are as safe as conventional motorways, when we know better design would result in fewer deaths. Too many corners have been cut in the interest of cost saving to move the goal posts from ERAs every 500m in the successful M42 pilot to every 2500m without consultation.
“The Panorama investigation clearly shows that the police, the AA and even the Transport Minister responsible for roads at the time, say the system is flawed and dangerous and must be changed. Coroners have repeated this message after needless deaths.
“I drove many hundreds of miles on smart motorways in doing research for this programme and my dash cam picked up far too many unimaginable horrors some of which will feature in the programme. Now is the time for radical change or more lives will be lost.”
*Article Source www.aa.com
