The rollout of new safety technology on smart motorways will complete within the next five months, but motoring organisations have expressed continued safety concerns.

AA research has found more than eight out of 10 drivers (82%) said they would find breaking down on a smart motorway a stressful experience

National Highways said today it was on course to upgrade almost 100 safety cameras to enable automatic detection of vehicles that ignore red X lane closure signals by the end of September.

The work will help increase compliance with the red X warnings, helping to ensure the safety of drivers and their passengers in difficulty, or road workers and emergency services who need a safe space to work.

National Highways also confirmed that it will add to the 330-plus extra signs it has already installed to inform drivers of the distance to the next place to stop in the event of a mechanical problem or emergency.

And it said it’s on track to complete the roll-out of radar-based technology that can spot a stopped or broken-down vehicle on over 200 miles of All Lane Running (ALR) motorway by the end of September 2022.

The commitments were made in the newly published Smart Motorway Stocktake – Second Year Progress Report, which underlines the progress made against the action plan first published by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in 2020 to further improve safety and boost drivers’ confidence when using the motorway network.

The new report comes after the Department for Transport and National Highways agreed in January to pause the roll-out of new ALR schemes until five years of safety and economic data is available. The pause will enable the Government to make informed decisions about enhancing capacity on the strategic road network. They also announced a £900m commitment to ensure drivers feel safe and confident, including an extra £390m to install additional emergency areas.

The latest update follows the Transport Committee’s inquiry into smart motorways, which saw a damning report into ALR smart motorways published in November 2021, saying they should never have been rolled out without work on safety concerns and that the DfT and National Highways (previously Highways England) had failed to deliver on promises to implement safety improvements.

Today’s new report also includes new in-depth analysis confirming that overall, in terms of serious or fatal casualties, smart motorways are the safest roads on the strategic road network. The report analysis has been carried out in line with recommendations from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

It also indicates that the risk of a collision between moving vehicles is lower on ALR and Dynamic Hard Shoulder (DHS) motorways – where the hard shoulder operates only part-time – than conventional motorways.

National Highways also acknowledged driver concerns about the risk of breaking down in a live lane, along with research suggesting drivers’ confidence is higher when travelling on dual carriageways and major A-roads than on smart motorways.

Nick Harris, National Highways’ chief executive, said: “Our network is relied upon by an ever-increasing number of people to work, visit family and friends, do business and much more. It is only right that these drivers and their passengers are safe and, crucially, feel safe on our roads, including smart motorways.

“It is now two years since the Transport Secretary first published the smart motorway stocktake and today’s report shows that we are making good progress delivering on these ambitious recommendations. But we are not complacent.

“The latest data shows that, overall, in terms of serious or fatal casualties, smart motorways are our safest roads. We are continuing our work to make them our safest roads in every way. We will continue to build on the work already undertaken and continue to put safety first to help ensure drivers have confidence in the motorway network.”

Roads Minister Baroness Vere added: “This progress report shows we continue to make good progress delivering our commitments, including the installation of new safety equipment within the next five months. However, there should be no upper limit on the safety of our roads which is why I, alongside the Transport Secretary, will continue to do everything I can to ensure drivers are as safe and feel as safe as they possibly can.”

Commenting on the latest update on smart motorways, AA president Edmund King said: “While it is good to see progress in implementing further safety measures on smart motorways, our view all along has been that these motorways should never have been rolled out without these measures in place to start with, which is why we pleased that many of the actions the AA called for are now being implemented.

“The latest data backs up why we called continuously for more Emergency Refuge Areas and better radar systems. The five-year average shows that when a vehicle is stopped in a live lane of any form of smart motorway, it is worse across all safety metrics when compared to a motorway with a permanent hard shoulder. We have seen progress with the 100-mile roll-out of Stopped Vehicle Detection but a recent serious incident on the M3, where a bridge seems to have prevented the radar working, reminds us that it is not infallible.

“Last month, more than eight out of 10 drivers (82%) told us they would find breaking down on a smart motorway a stressful experience compared to just 57% who would be stressed breaking down on a motorway with a permanent hard shoulder. This clearly shows that most drivers are still not convinced that removing the hard shoulder is a smart move. We will continue monitoring and pressing for improvements.”

The RAC also commented. Head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “While good progress is being made in upgrading existing smart motorways by installing stopped vehicle detection technology and more refuge area signage, the key question is whether these changes are enough to reassure drivers, many of whom firmly believe that removing the hard shoulder compromises safety.

“While the Government is keen to point out that all-lane-running smart motorways tend to have a better overall safety record than conventional motorways, the safety comparisons with other types of smart motorways are less impressive.”