A FEW YEARS ago, our ever reliable Land Rover broke down on a stretch of the M25 designated as a smart motorway – which means that there is no hard shoulder.
Smart motorways. Thought up, designed and implemented by someone who doesn’t drive on motorways. Or at all. The stranded motorist is relying on too many variables for it to be safe abd should be banned yesterday.
Terrifying Guy! I had a blow out at 70mph (obvioulsy...ahem) in the fast lane of the M56. Got to the hard shoulder and even then, with young daughter to look after I changed the wheel - the fear of imminent lack of attention from a lorry - and even the backwash as they shot past was terrifying!
It is of course a pretty terrifying experience to be stationary even on a hard shoulder, with wind-blown heavies often straying half a lane or more, and I can only imagine how scary it must be to be left wondering if the artic is going to notice you and move. The drama is clear, and thankfully did not add to the morbid tally.
Boringly the data on road deaths is less than conclusive than the assembled anecdotes. In 2019 smart motorways saw more deaths involving stationary cars, 2018 it was a little over and in other years it was lower, and they show lower deaths between moving traffic, overall, over time killing fewer people. I don't wish to trivialise the incident -- I think it's a natural reaction to be terrified in this situation and blame the motorway -- and any design choice that moves deaths around is an interesting one from a moral standpoint -- just consider the trollycar conundrums. It is particularly interesting if one finds oneself on the track rather than pulling the lever.
Given they exist and appear set to stay, perhaps the platform might usefully be used to advocate for improved safety (red X compliance, blanket stopped-car radar coverage, better refuge density) as well as messages about what to do (roll to refuge if possible, get out (nearside doors), leave passenger door / boot open, hazards on, get behind barrier, never turn back on live traffic)?
Better refuge density? Like, um, another hard shoulder almost then? The hard shoulder has been around for decades - my father was an engineer on the M1 and M3, obviously traffic was very different then but the fundamentals of escaping live lanes is intrinsically the best. Even if Guy and his family had got out he has effectively left several tonnes of road-block with no power (or hazard lights?) in a live lane used predominantly by lorries and my mother in law going 50mph. Smart motorways are a poor attempted solution at too many vehicles on a stretch of motorway at any given time. I like the M6 toll - my choice to pay and usually quieter. Get the freight back onto trains with smaller, distributed networks.
Yes - the data is not conclusive, although there's no doubt that Highways always priced in some deaths when planning the SMs.
From a piece what I wrote:
"In a 68-page Highways England document from August 2015, there is a section which states that the approach to the introduction of smart motorways ‘includes the concept of “trade-off”, whereby an increase in the safety risk from one hazard can be balanced by a commensurate decrease in the safety risk of another hazard’. This then, is the key to the whole issue, and shows that Highways England have long accepted that deaths will occur, but have sought to mitigate these deaths by blithely claiming that the motorways will be safer ‘overall’."
I'm not necessarily against the idea of such a trade-off if it saves more lives, but betting on the effectiveness of Stopped Vehicle Detection seems to be one hell of a punt. It failed in March this year on the M4 and someone died, although Highways have yet to publicly admit (although I've been told privately).
Thank goodness you guys got lucky with this one, these motorways are scandalous. It shouldn’t be a case of luck, but these roads are basically a deadly lottery. I can’t recall another government policy that has more actively endangered the lives of UK citizens (not that it is impossible, but this takes some beating)
As an owner and enthusiast of classic cars, the situation is somewhat heightened for people like me. I must say firstly classic cars are no less reliable than modern cars if looked after correctly, nor are they inherently dangerous even without modern safety features. But component wear is a thing, and as I was driving back from Lyon yesterday in my 1986 Audi 80 Sport, I did wonder whether something would give up, travelling 700 miles at 80 mph. It didn’t in the end, thanks to some* foresight and preparation from me, and solid dependable engineering. But it was telling that as soon as I got off the eurotunnel, I felt less secure on the UK motorways than the French ones. There are so few options in an emergency, and if there is a lorry bearing down on you, no amount of modern safety system is going to save you. For comparison, every mile in France there was an emergency phone and a constant hard shoulder. It’s shocking that the ‘Smart’ Motorway was even considered. Nothing is worth sacrificing safety for in my view. It is the definition of Out Of Touch
Thank you, I was quite astonished at how good it still is. Guess it’s what it was designed for. Has there been any progress on getting Smart Motorways abolished? I can’t remember what the latest was on that…
Thank you for doing this interview Guy. I suspect the reason why the Secretary of State was a no show was because he knows the system is indefensible. And Mr Rogers, the algorithm man, proved the point admirably. As you said, a “smart” system for dumb people.
Smart motorways. Thought up, designed and implemented by someone who doesn’t drive on motorways. Or at all. The stranded motorist is relying on too many variables for it to be safe abd should be banned yesterday.
Terrifying Guy! I had a blow out at 70mph (obvioulsy...ahem) in the fast lane of the M56. Got to the hard shoulder and even then, with young daughter to look after I changed the wheel - the fear of imminent lack of attention from a lorry - and even the backwash as they shot past was terrifying!
BLOODY HELL
Given the dangers of "smart" motorways and reports on the news reflecting your experience I'm glad I don't have a driving licence.
But you might be a passenger…
It is of course a pretty terrifying experience to be stationary even on a hard shoulder, with wind-blown heavies often straying half a lane or more, and I can only imagine how scary it must be to be left wondering if the artic is going to notice you and move. The drama is clear, and thankfully did not add to the morbid tally.
Boringly the data on road deaths is less than conclusive than the assembled anecdotes. In 2019 smart motorways saw more deaths involving stationary cars, 2018 it was a little over and in other years it was lower, and they show lower deaths between moving traffic, overall, over time killing fewer people. I don't wish to trivialise the incident -- I think it's a natural reaction to be terrified in this situation and blame the motorway -- and any design choice that moves deaths around is an interesting one from a moral standpoint -- just consider the trollycar conundrums. It is particularly interesting if one finds oneself on the track rather than pulling the lever.
Given they exist and appear set to stay, perhaps the platform might usefully be used to advocate for improved safety (red X compliance, blanket stopped-car radar coverage, better refuge density) as well as messages about what to do (roll to refuge if possible, get out (nearside doors), leave passenger door / boot open, hazards on, get behind barrier, never turn back on live traffic)?
Better refuge density? Like, um, another hard shoulder almost then? The hard shoulder has been around for decades - my father was an engineer on the M1 and M3, obviously traffic was very different then but the fundamentals of escaping live lanes is intrinsically the best. Even if Guy and his family had got out he has effectively left several tonnes of road-block with no power (or hazard lights?) in a live lane used predominantly by lorries and my mother in law going 50mph. Smart motorways are a poor attempted solution at too many vehicles on a stretch of motorway at any given time. I like the M6 toll - my choice to pay and usually quieter. Get the freight back onto trains with smaller, distributed networks.
Yes - the data is not conclusive, although there's no doubt that Highways always priced in some deaths when planning the SMs.
From a piece what I wrote:
"In a 68-page Highways England document from August 2015, there is a section which states that the approach to the introduction of smart motorways ‘includes the concept of “trade-off”, whereby an increase in the safety risk from one hazard can be balanced by a commensurate decrease in the safety risk of another hazard’. This then, is the key to the whole issue, and shows that Highways England have long accepted that deaths will occur, but have sought to mitigate these deaths by blithely claiming that the motorways will be safer ‘overall’."
I'm not necessarily against the idea of such a trade-off if it saves more lives, but betting on the effectiveness of Stopped Vehicle Detection seems to be one hell of a punt. It failed in March this year on the M4 and someone died, although Highways have yet to publicly admit (although I've been told privately).
Thank goodness you guys got lucky with this one, these motorways are scandalous. It shouldn’t be a case of luck, but these roads are basically a deadly lottery. I can’t recall another government policy that has more actively endangered the lives of UK citizens (not that it is impossible, but this takes some beating)
As an owner and enthusiast of classic cars, the situation is somewhat heightened for people like me. I must say firstly classic cars are no less reliable than modern cars if looked after correctly, nor are they inherently dangerous even without modern safety features. But component wear is a thing, and as I was driving back from Lyon yesterday in my 1986 Audi 80 Sport, I did wonder whether something would give up, travelling 700 miles at 80 mph. It didn’t in the end, thanks to some* foresight and preparation from me, and solid dependable engineering. But it was telling that as soon as I got off the eurotunnel, I felt less secure on the UK motorways than the French ones. There are so few options in an emergency, and if there is a lorry bearing down on you, no amount of modern safety system is going to save you. For comparison, every mile in France there was an emergency phone and a constant hard shoulder. It’s shocking that the ‘Smart’ Motorway was even considered. Nothing is worth sacrificing safety for in my view. It is the definition of Out Of Touch
Thanks for this Ben, and good for you with your foresight and preparation! I'm liking that 1986 Audi!
Thank you, I was quite astonished at how good it still is. Guess it’s what it was designed for. Has there been any progress on getting Smart Motorways abolished? I can’t remember what the latest was on that…
I'm not sure. Grant Shapps keeps vacillating
To Vacillate, that’s a good one, shall remember that…
Well said Guy. Dreadful things.
Thank you for doing this interview Guy. I suspect the reason why the Secretary of State was a no show was because he knows the system is indefensible. And Mr Rogers, the algorithm man, proved the point admirably. As you said, a “smart” system for dumb people.
It’s an extraordinarily stupid idea on its face.