Smart Motorways - Yet another Death !

Do we ever learn?

If you drive some of these mortorways you will have seen the obvious dangers!

This, today, from the DT:-

A coroner investigating the death of a 62-year-old grandmother who died on a stretch of smart motorway is to consider referring Highways England to prosecutors to decide if manslaughter charges are appropriate.

Nargis Begum, from Sheffield, was killed while waiting for help after breaking down on a section of the M1 with no hard shoulder, near Woodhall Services in South Yorkshire, in September 2018.

Families of motorists killed on smart sections of Britain’s motorway network have repeatedly called on the Highways Agency to be prosecuted for corporate manslaughter over the scrapping of hard shoulders.

However, if the Highways Agency were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over Mrs Begum’s death it would be the first time a coroner has taken such a significant step.

The mother-of-five and grandmother-of-nine, who was the passenger in a Nissan Qashqai driven by her husband, Mohammed Bashir, 67, had got out of the car and was waiting for help when another vehicle collided with the Nissan, causing it to plough into her.

Time to prosecute!

Re: Smart Motorways - Yet another Death !

But is the motorway at fault or the drivers who ignore the signals? Some hard shoulders are used at peak times only as an extra lane and are indicated as closed with a red X above the lane when changed back into the hard shoulder. If someone, through neglect, ignorance, or more usually, a desire to get somewhere faster than the traffic allows undertakes the main stream of traffic using the hard shoulder to do so, they should be held responsible and liable for any consequences.

Re: Smart Motorways - Yet another Death !

I think the system is at fault if the cameras are switched off and the powers that be are not monitoring speeds, lane jumpers, broken down cars and people standing at the side of their broken down cars.

If they can't run the surveillance, they should not run the hard shoulders as lanes.

Apparantly, the tracking devices are not yet up and running, the security is not there!

Nobody is watching!

Re: Smart Motorways - Yet another Death !

This is lunacy .

Re: Smart Motorways - Yet another Death !

Dreadful and so very wrong . Who allowed this to happen . I am quite anxious when I drive on the M27 and M3

There is no escape route in an emergency and now another tragedy

Re: Smart Motorways - Yet another Death !

I saw that the crash driver was doing over 80 in that lane!

"The coroner said this included a witness who said the car was travelling at about 90mph and that 153 other vehicles, including lorries, had managed to safely negotiate past the stranded Nissan." (from the DT, same article).

"Ms Mundy heard how 16 minutes and 21 seconds had elapsed between the Nissan breaking down and the collision, followed by a further six minutes and 15 seconds before warning signs were activated.

Ms Mundy said this amounted to a total of 22 minutes and 36 seconds between the breakdown and warnings being displayed. "

Re: Smart Motorways - Yet another Death !

Was happening along time before this Smart thing came into it.
When I was working before 2008, I was driving home and got a puncture health reason before you ask I cannot change spare tyres.
So I called my breakdown service RAC and told them where I was on the A13.
I also mentioned there was no hard shoulder or lay by.
I was told to get out of the car and distance myself from it on the grass.
I said that it was a steep hill and I was disabled and unable to climb the steep hill.
So I had my double flashers on and it was 6am in the morning hardly a lot of traffic.
I informed the lady that I will take my chances and wait in the car. It was also pouring with rain and I had just finished a 12 hour shift.
My point is that this family were more than likely informed to move away from the car by their breakdown service.
The fact that they were hanging about around the vehicle is their own responsibility that something happened.
We see it all the time on the major roads Asian/African families breaking down and all just standing by the side of the road with their cars.
Like some one is going to nick a broken down vehicle in England.
Anyways its obviously the surname that is getting them the media attention.

Re: Smart Motorways - Yet another Death !

Another Coroner, reporting deaths as "unlawful Killings", near Sheffield, in June 2019.

This from the DT this morning.

"A coroner has called for an urgent review into the safety of smart motorways after finding that scrapping hard shoulders “presents an ongoing risk of future deaths”.

David Urpeth, South Yorkshire’s senior coroner, found the lack of a hard shoulder on the M1 contributed to the “unlawful killings” of Jason Mercer, 44, and Alexandru Murgeanu, 22.

The motorists had tucked their vehicles in on the inside live lane near Sheffield to exchange insurance details following a minor shunt between their cars on June 7, 2019.

Five minutes later, Prezemyslaw Szuba’s lorry ploughed into them at 56mph, killing the pair outright after the driver failed to take evasive action in the five seconds he had to spot them.

After holding the inquest into the men’s death, Mr Urpeth said he will write to Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, calling for a national “review or inquiry” to assess the threat smart motorways pose.

The coroner also rounded on Highways England and the Department for Transport for failing to educate motorists about how to use smart motorways. He said concerns over informing the public about how the network was being transformed were exacerbated by the “confusion” caused by a “hybrid” system of motorways, some with hard shoulders, and some without.

Referring to the 2019 crash in which Highways England failed to spot the stationary vehicles to close the lane to traffic, Mr Urpeth said: “I find, as a finding of fact, it is clear a lack of hard shoulder contributed to this tragedy.”

He added: “I believe smart motorways, as they currently stand, present an ongoing risk of future deaths. Accordingly, I propose to write to Highways England and the Secretary of State for Transport to raise the following points.

“Firstly, the obvious and foreseeable risk posed by the absence of a hard shoulder on smart motorways.

“Secondly, the confusion caused to motorists posed by having a mixture of smart motorways and traditional motorways.

“Thirdly, the need for better driver awareness on the use of smart motorways.

“Fourthly, the need for Highways England to be able to identify stationary vehicles. The need for better driver awareness to, where possible, get over the crash barrier.”

He said such an inquiry could be given the powers to offer guidance to ministers and could then “have the opportunities of saving lives”.


The crash happened a mile from an emergency refuge area on a stretch of motorway where the hard shoulder had been turned into a fourth lane in 2017.

The coroner said that while it was “unwise” it was also “understandable” the two men chose to stop to swap insurance details after a minor bump in the live lane.

He said it was “abundantly clear” motorists face a “hybrid” motorway system where the traditional three lanes with a hard shoulder can suddenly change to four lanes because the hard shoulder has been scrapped and emergency refuge areas built every mile so.

“I think many drivers do not understand the distinction between them both and how they should operate. To me that is not surprising because I don’t think we’ve seen enough education around their use.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything about how to use a smart motorway and that is a sad indictment on those who are meant to provide the training.”

However, the coroner added the “primary cause” of the deaths of Mr Mercer and Mr Murgeanu was the dangerous driving of Szuba. The 40-year-old Polish lorry driver from Hull was jailed for 10 months in October for causing the deaths driving without due care and attention.

Mr Urpth concluded both men, who died from multiple catastrophic injuries, were unlawfully killed.

Since 2015, more than 40 people have died on smart motorways, a Freedom of Information request established. The Telegraph has repeatedly identified cases where motorists have broken down on live lanes of smart motorways but Highways England fails to spot them on its network of CCTV cameras or with a radar in time to prevent a vehicle ploughing into the back of them at high speed.

Mrs Mercer, 44, and from Rotherham, was the first relative to speak to The Telegraph after losing her husband in this way. She is bringing a judicial review against the continued roll out of smart motorways, and is also urging South Yorkshire Police to consider prosecuting Highways England for corporate manslaughter.

She wept as the coroner delivered his ruling after a day-long hearing.

Widow Claire Mercer arrives at Sheffield Town Hall for the inquest into the deaths of her husband, Jason Mercer, and Alexandru Murgeanu CREDIT: Danny Lawson/PA
Outside court she said: “It just reiterates what we’ve been saying for months – just how dangerous these roads are.

“It was not the result we were expecting but it’s very welcome and it’s going to help the campaign along.”

She added: “It was a shock. We always knew we were right but to hear someone else say it and in this setting and with this power behind them.”

Re: Smart Motorways - Yet another Death !

I am not sure that you have understood Judd. On Smart motorways there are no hard shoulders anymore.
There are emergency lay-bys but often a mile or more apart.
If someone breaks down in between these they are trapped in the left hand lane.
I can assure you it is very frightening and nothing to do with driving skills.

Re: Smart Motorways - Yet another Death !

Dangerous and frightening . Should never have been allowed . All so traffic can move faster .