The latest call by the RAC to reinstate emergency lanes should be listened to and acted upon
Ten years ago this week on the M25, Britain’s first stretch of all-lane running (ALR) “smart” motorway was introduced, with more to follow. Envisaged as a way to ease congestion without spending money on widening roads, ALR motorways function without a hard shoulder for drivers in difficulty. As they were rolled out, motorists were assured that the emergency lane would not be missed, as new technologies would be able to respond to breakdowns, and control traffic flow.
The public was understandably sceptical about how smart this idea was, and it turned out the public was right. Smart motorways without a hard shoulder have been found to be three times more dangerous than ones where drivers have that option. Behind the data lie horrific incidents, in which stationary vehicles have been ploughed into from behind with fatal consequences. In one tragic case, a passenger in a car which stopped to lend assistance to another vehicle was killed when a lorry crashed into it.
