Government reaffirms road safety commitments following smart motorway deaths
A coroner found two men could have survived a crash near Sheffield in 2019 if a hard shoulder had been in operation
Last updated 6th Apr 2023
The Government has reaffirmed commitments to new safety measures on smart motorways following an inquest into the deaths of two pensioners in a crash near Sheffield.
Derek Jacobs, 83, died when his van was hit by a car on the M1 near Sheffield in March 2019 after he had stopped in the live inside lane following a tyre blow-out and got out of the vehicle.
The front seat passenger in the Ford Ka that hit the van, Charles Scripps, 78, died in hospital two months after the collision.
Concluding that both men died as a result of a road traffic collision, assistant coroner Susan Evans told Chesterfield Coroner’s Court: “Smart motorways are hugely controversial because of the lack of any hard shoulder for motorists to use in times of need such as occurred here.
The red car, being driven by Mr Scripps’s wife Jean, was shown on dashcam footage flipping over in the carriageway and ending up on its side before it was hit by a coach.
“It is immediately apparent that, had there been a hard shoulder, this incident would not have occurred because Mr Jacobs would have been able to pull off the live lane entirely.”
But the coroner added: “That said, there are many roads in the road network, including dual carriageway A-roads, that are subject to the national speed limit and do not have the benefit of any hard shoulder.”
"Hugely controversial..."
The Government paused the rollout of smart motorways at the start of last year following concerns from campaigners about how safe they are.
But construction is continuing on new routes around Greater Manchester, London and the Pennines.
A spokesperson from the Department for Transport told us this morning: “Safety on our roads remains an absolute priority and we want all drivers to feel safe and confident while driving.
“We have paused the rollout of smart motorways that are yet to begin construction and we will update on next steps in due course.
“During the pause, we have committed £900 million for safety improvements across the network, including building more emergency areas.”