News & Features
Highways England Breakdowns Campaign
Posted in General News on Wednesday, March 31st, 2021
Highways England has launched its largest ever motorway safety campaign to make sure all motorists know what to do if they are unfortunate enough to breakdown on a motorway. The key message of this campaign is that if you breakdown on the motorway go left. If you are not able to exit the motorway at the next junction or service station, try to go left into an emergency area or hard shoulder. Get safe and then get help. If you are unable to leave your vehicle and get to safety, you should keep your seat belts on, put your hazard warning lights on and call 999 immediately. Highways England Equality and Diversity Manager Julian Horsler said: “We know that driving gives disabled road users vital independence, and we want to ensure that every road user knows what to do in an emergency. Our research has shown some of the issues disabled road users encounter when they break down, such as getting out of their vehicle, so this new campaign is vital to help keep everyone safe.” DMUK Chief Executive Graham Footer commented: “With disabled drivers representing around five per cent of the driving population, we welcome the campaign from Highways England to ensure all road users are safe. The campaign is clear and concise and disabled drivers should feel safer knowing what to do in an emergency. Getting out of a vehicle in an emergency is not always an option for disabled motorists so it is important for them to know that if they feel they are in an unsafe situation they should call 999 immediately.”
For more information on the campaign visit the Highways England Breakdowns Campaign website.
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Comments
David B Sears
Friday, March, 19th, 2021
I think the whole system is ridiculous! Who can say when they are going to breakdown or even make it to the nearside lane? Imagine a car coming to a total standstill in the outside lane and the driver reaching for his hazard warning switch, by the time he puts them on other cars will have piled into him, at 70+ mph. You assume that drivers get a warning of a breakdown, before it occurs, this is not always the case and so we contribute to total carnage on the motorway, then we start the blame game, is it the authority, no, it must be the drivers who should have reduced speed quicker, let us blame the driver again!!!
Joseph Meason
Friday, March, 19th, 2021
I have used the live lanes on our local motorways on many occasions in the past. What surprises me is how close lorry driver ers are to each other, even at 50 mph. Even cars do the in same,no chance stopping safely. I keep a safe distance but cars and lorry's cut into my safe space. Total idiots.
Roger
Thursday, April, 1st, 2021
Well the first thing the comes to mind is the Safety an viability of so called Smart Motoways !, anyone who has driven North up the M6 is a dam nightmare!, If the vehicle your driving breaks down you have very little chance of survival a driver Can not get out of the way of following Traffic the Boffins who thought this out maybe clever but the things that I am my wife have seen North of Birmingham are Extremely worrying, and it’s very very clear to me they are Certainly Not Practical
Mike Balkwill
Thursday, April, 1st, 2021
Turn left on to what? On the rare occasions I've needed to pull over, it's been necessary to drive for what seems miles before finding anywhere suitable. This must surely apply to non-disabled people as well.
Bill Steel
Friday, March, 19th, 2021
I have driven on the new sections of motorway, without lay-bys. What if you cannot reach the lay-by??? The left lane is, traditionally, used by the biggest trucks, needing the greatest stopping distance. This is a crazy project, on a road which is known to be a nightmare, even for those stopping on a recognised hard shoulder!!
Martin Whibley
Saturday, March, 20th, 2021
As a disabled driver I am unable to exit my car easily and should I have the misfortune to break down, a motorway with a hard shoulder would provide me with a degree of confidence that I would not be in a 'live lane' and could possibly exit the car. Highways England has always failed to address the risks posed to disabled drivers and disabled passengers when using 'smart motorways'. Should I break down on a 'smart motorway' and not have enough time to reach a refuge area, the advice to sit in my car, keep my seat belt on and dial 999 would leave me vulnerable and a target to be hit by other traffic. I personally feel that 'smart motorways are unsafe and discriminate against disabled drivers and disabled passengers. The multi million pound 'keep left' campaign would be better spent on addressing the major safety issues associated with 'smart motorways'.
Charles Mills
Thursday, April, 1st, 2021
When smart motorways were being introduced the specification was for a breakdown refuge area every 600m, but this did not happen and the norm became 1 mile. Following the accident on the M1 at Sheffield new refuge areas have been added but they are still too far apart. Also I have travelled many miles on smart motorways when a red X is shown to notify drivers that the lane is closed and the amount of vehicles that still drive in the closed lane is absurd. Smart motorways are a disaster that has already happened and how many lives will have to be sacrificed before actin is taken to make motorways safe again.
peter hemingway
Thursday, April, 1st, 2021
as a disabled person myself, i think these smart m/ways where biggest waste of money by the gov and highways england, and i totally support the widow whos late husband was killed on a smart m/way 2yrs ago???, They might be ok for able bodied people to get out of the left side vehicle, but what about disable people???, esp if they have lower limb disabliities??/. if ever i broke down i would staying my car ., So yes SCRAP the smart m/ways, also what happens if you cannot make it to a "refuge"???.
Roger
Thursday, April, 1st, 2021
Well the first thing the comes to mind is the Safety an viability of so called Smart Motoways !, anyone who has driven North up the M6 is a dam nightmare!, If the vehicle your driving breaks down you have very little chance of survival a driver Can not get out of the way of following Traffic the Boffins who thought this out maybe clever but the things that I am my wife have seen North of Birmingham are Extremely worrying, and it’s very very clear to me they are Certainly Not Practical
Wendy Shaw
Thursday, April, 1st, 2021
I am a wheelchair user who has a WAV my husband is my driver & I am fastened in the back what happens on a smart motorway where their are very few hard shoulder pull ins & a lorry or car is hurtling towards you.
Bill Ross
Tuesday, April, 20th, 2021
This is total nonsense. What use are the seatbelts and hazard lights when a 40 tonner comes into the back of you at 60 mph?. There's only one course of action to remain safe: keep off the Smart Motorways, find an alternative. It might take longer, but you'll live longer. I haven't used them for several years and I don't intend to start now.
Bill Ross
Tuesday, April, 20th, 2021
They don't give up, do they? Somebody somewhere is convinced this silly campaign is going to work and we are all going to sit back and say, "Aahhh yes, that's what I should do, I should go left. Silly me, why didn't I think of that? GO LEFT!."
James Tatton
Wednesday, April, 21st, 2021
Smart motorways are like playing Russian Roulette, especially for disabled drivers/passengers (like myself and my wife) who are unable to exit the vehicle. How many people have to die before this crazy system? is scrapped and hard shoulders reintroduced?
Pat Conneely
Wednesday, April, 21st, 2021
I would feel safer on a so-called “smart motorway “ if the radar system to detect broken down vehicles or other obstructions was installed before rollout. As it is I will avoid travelling in the left lane until approaching my exit.
Urmila
Friday, June, 4th, 2021
There are no SAFE SMART motor ways. This is imagination of someone who is not smart, even artificial intelligence have a better understanding of safety. I pray Almighty to bestow some smart common sense and save precious lives. Thank U.