Critics Argue Not Enough Is Being Done To Make Smart Motorways Safer
It's after plans were recently approved to build 130 miles more of it across the country
Last updated 17th Nov 2020
We're being told more needs to be done to make smart motorways - like the M1 in South Yorkshire - safer.
That's just as the government have approved a scheme to create 130 miles more of it.
Rotherham MP Sarah Champion is calling for more emergency pull-in areas to be built on them;
"When an accident happens and you need to pull over or your car breaks down, there is nowhere safe to pull over. You literally become a sitting target, and this is entirely avoidable.
"What I called for the Secretary of State to do back in March was to put a hard shoulder back on our stretch of motorway.
"He could've done that easily, but he decided against it, so what we have from junction 28, all the way up to 35a, is quite literally a death trap."
Claire Mercer's husband Jason died last year on the 16 mile stretch of smart motorway near to Meadowhall.
She's also campaigning for the hard shoulder to be brought back;
"I've quit my job now to concentrate on this campaign. I can see why people get exhausted, frustrated, depressed and then give up. I can't do that though, it's the only way I can deal with this.
"I'll keep fighting until we get the hard shoulder back, but until then, we need better safety measures in place on these smart motorways."
Highways England say a safety review found smart motorways are as safe as, or safer than, normal motorways.