National Highways will start the process of adding 12 emergency areas (EAs) on the smart motorway section of the M1 in South Yorkshire this month. The refuge areas will be located between Junction 32 at Thurcroft and Junction 35A at Stocksbridge, adding to the already existing eight emergency areas on this stretch. National Highways have […]
Drivers are demanding an end to the existing smart motorway schemes amidst safety concerns. A new poll for IAM RoadSmart, the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, showed that 85 percent of motorists want to see construction plans cease until their safety can be guaranteed. As many as 84 percent of road users stated that […]
Highways England has recently admitted that only around half of the cameras on smart motorways are currently able to detect road users who illegally drive under ‘red X’ lane closure signs. This comes a year and a half after the law initially changed in order to allow camera evidence to be used for prosecutions. Since […]
The UK Government has revealed that 38 people have been killed on smart motorways over the last five years. The statistics come after Highways England responded to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request from BBC’s Panorama programme, “Britain’s Killer Motorways”. The report also found that on one section of the M25, the number of ‘near […]
The controversial introduction of smart motorways has received yet more criticism from motorists. New information revealed by the AA has raised more concerns, while one woman plans to sue Highways England because of their safety issues. So far, four road users have already been killed on the country’s only smart motorway, which was introduced 10 […]
A new report by National Highways shows that the road operator hit all its targets for stopped vehicle detection (SVD). This technology alerts operators to cars that may have broken down in moving lanes on smart motorways, aiming to improve the safety of the controversial roads. The report to ORR stated that 92% of stopped […]
A new report by National Highways has found that almost one in 10 drivers ignore the “Red X” mark on motorway gantries. This is despite the fact that those who are caught in a Red X lane can expect to receive a fixed penalty of up to £100 and three points on their licence. In […]
Highways England has launched a huge, £5 million campaign with the aim of informing the public about staying safe on smart motorways. The government-owned company has said this is its ‘biggest ever motorway safety campaign’, and is one part of their 18-point action plan. The main message is that drivers should ‘go left’ if they […]
On the 5th December 1958, the first ever motorway opened in Britain, with a recorded 2,300 road users driving across it for the first time. The Preston bypass was actually the first motorway, which now features as part of the M6. This month, we celebrate the birthday of the first UK motorway – marking a […]
Professor Nick Reed has been appointed as National Highways’ first chief road safety advisor. He will be working to help achieve the Government-owned company’s aims of zero harm on England’s motorways and major A-roads by 2040. Prof. Reed will work with National Highways’ board of directors to provide advice on reaching this goal, as well […]