Smart Motorway Q&A with my other half

[@123MondayTuesday]

Worth noting, if you were to sit in your car, turn the ignition on. That will mean if someone smashes into the back of you, the air bags will deploy. If ignition is off, no air bags will activate

[@PedroConejo1939]

Never thought of that - good advice.

[@kenbrown2808]

if someone smashes into the back of you, I would not expect any airbags to deploy - but if they shunt you into something, you would benefit.

[@gravemind6536]

Some cars the brake lights do not light up without having the ignition on Vauxhall being one of them, thankfully I have never had a car that does that, on any car I've owned the brake lights will light up as soon as I touch the brake pedal regardless.

[@kenbrown2808]

@@gravemind6536 i don't think that configuration is even legal in the us. I think brake lights must operate independent of ignition.

[@chrispop99]

@@gravemind6536 Conversely, every car I've owned since 1964 needs the ignition on for the brake lights to function.

[@MrSupercar55]

I drive on a smart motorway on a daily basis. The one I commute on is the stretch of the M20 between Leybourne and Maidstone, being a Kent farmboy. Anyway, I can say with all confidence that there’s nothing smart about so-called “smart motorways”. They’re still dysfunctional 4-lane war zones with no hard shoulder in case you break down. They do have those orange lay-bys, but that’s no good if you break down and can’t make it to one. The lack of a hard shoulder also leaves you with nowhere to swerve over if you need to. The other day I was driving home from work and I had to swerve over into the hard shoulder because a lorry wanted to get into the left lane and he clearly didn’t see me. As much as it’s illegal to drive in the hard shoulder, I don’t fancy being squished by a 44 tonne artic because I’m about to turn off the motorway and a lorry wants the lane I’m already in. It’s better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. Had that happened on a smart motorway, I wouldn’t have had that lifeline provided by the hard shoulder. Last but definitely not least, if the traffic is stationary and the emergency services need to come past, they can do so with ease if there’s a hard shoulder.

[@musography6958]

absolutely agree with you. It may be true that it's the driver's who aren't 'smart' enough that cause the problems but I don't see driving standards improving any time soon and while ever we have that much poor driving we need a hard shoulder to protect us

[@CrusherUK2013]

Agree completely. I had a situation once (on the M4 before it got 'smarts'). New-ish car completely lost power in the outside lane during rush hour. I made a quick dash to the hard shoulder before I lost momentum (luckily the other drivers gave way to me as I signalled left). I wouldn't have made it to a safety zone on a 'smart' motorway. The engine restarted after about 10 mins.

[@gingernutpreacher]

Agreed the lack of hard shoulder is dangerous and backed up statistically

[@alexpollington5337]

Live around there myself and couldn't have said it better... smart motorways are not smart at all, costs taxpayers a lot of money and are more dangerous.

[@fetchstixRHD]

“As much as it’s illegal to drive in the hard shoulder, I don’t fancy being squished by a 44 tonne artic (…) It’s better to be judged by 12…” On that note, wouldn’t that be allowed because it’s an emergency? I doubt many would look too favourably upon someone who said “the hard shoulder was free but I didn’t go in it and just sat there to get squashed because it’s illegal”?

[@williamfence566]

We currently can't get people to move back across from the middle lane when lane 1 is clear or stop using their phone whilst driving. It's not the motorway that isn't smart. Ashleys channel and chosen career are testament that we all need continuous education.

[@amigaouk]

i think smart motorway should be remove and ban

[@gravemind6536]

I will not be driving on the hard shoulder of a motorway regardless of what some stupid signs on a stupid motorway say there is nothing smart about smart motorways.

[@highdownmartin]

That’s like saying we don’t need seatbelts and air bags; if only people would learn to drive properly then they’d be redundant. The hard shoulder is the seat belt on a motorway.

[@gingernutpreacher]

@@amigaouk but which part verabal speed limits look to be safer it's the removal of the hard shoulder that is the concern

[@williamfence566]

@@highdownmartin Seatbelts and airbags are an aid to reduce risk but hopefully if everything goes well you won't need them . But we have a choice and some people don't wear a belt or turn off the airbag. Smart motorways have speed restriction signs to aid traffic flow and a big red X if someone has broken down to reduce risk. But some people choose not to obey them. The driver in both cases takes the responsibility for their actions. If everything was only based on probability then we'd have an extra lane to the left of a national speed limit single carriageway

[@nowster]

Smart motorways don't work to increase capacity when folks continue to hog the middle lanes. And the safety aspect relies on the operators noticing problems in good time. This isn't helped by the inconsistent signage round roadworks on smart motorways: red X well in advance of cones, not setting speed limit repeaters on gantries other than the initial restriction and the end of restriction (uncertainty as to whether limit still applies when following signs are blank).

[@andrewlong6438]

It’s not just those in the middle lane but also those sitting in the far right Lane who are hogging the lane and have no intention of moving back to left hand lanes. If they are rear-ended because of being too close - they will not be able to get to the yellow lane.

[@seeitsayitdoggo]

It's actually automatic nowadays - the system counts how many vehicles go over a traffic loop and at what speed, and sets speeds down in advance of that point to prevent queues forming in the first place.

[@stephenbrookes7268]

Smart motorways would work perfectly. If people abide by the rules. The death penalty should apply to anyone breaking the rules. No trial, just Judge Dread and summary execution. This will make smart roads work perfectly!

[@hazza4govt]

As someone who does roadworks (traffic management) I've come to understand that the reason you don't get repeaters is because they turn off the gantry to prevent MIDAS being incorrectly activated by works traffic. Previously they left them on but it was coming for thr VMSnto show queuing traffic when that was not the case.

[@ryanmitcham5522]

@@hazza4govt This is a huge issue that needs addressing, because the law is very clear. Once I pass a mandatory 40 speed limit, the speed limit is 40 until I pass another sign saying otherwise. In practice this means I'm trying to do 40 when all around me people have given up and gone back to 70. The road rage from HGV's when I'm trundling along in lane 1 at 40 after a few unlit gantries is insane. And sometimes there never is a lit national speed limit gantry at the end. Are we meant to continue doing 40 or return to 70 when multiple gantries are unlit? After how many unlit gantries can we go back to 70? I don't really care what the rule is, but we need everybody on the same page, traffic doing wildly different speeds because of the confusion is what causes the danger.

[@groundcontrolto]

Last time I did a long drive up the M1 the left-most lane was closed because of a crash by a service station. Heavy queuing traffic in lanes 2, 3 and 4. There were numpties driving into and out of the service station to try and skip the queue. What they didn't realise was that the crash was at the exit of the service station so they were just putting themselves in the closed lane by the accident.

[@Tezzel49]

Having had a cam belt go in rush hour traffic, 3rd lane, 60mph, I was able to get across to the hard shoulder with hazards on. That motorway is now a smart motorway and the thought of that happening scares the life out of me. No way I could have made it to a refuge area so instead of rolling through a gap between cars to the hard shoulder I'd have to pick which line of 60mph traffic I want to stop in front of while I wait for the sensors to notice me.

[@kenbrown2808]

how many of your unmonitored non-carriageway roads have hard shoulders to pull to? I don't recall seeing very many last time I traveled there.

[@steves5172]

Absolutely right! My nightmare is a breakdown ahead at night with no lights showing

[@simonavarne9635]

Presumably then you don't like driving on major dual carriageways for the same reason as they also don't have hard shoulders.

[@richardparke4105]

Yes, but your priority once stopped is to get out and get behind the crash barrier. The left hand lane being live DOES increase your risk, but you do have steps within your control to make sure that risk is mitigated.

[@Tezzel49]

@simon Fair point but, I drive on several duel carriageways every day and they all have half a lane plus a grass verge on the inside except on bridge so there is a exit route that gives lane 1 traffic enough room to get past even if they don't notice until very late. All the smart motorways I have been on have a hard barrier against lane 1. Then if you take the advice that you should exit on the passenger side if possible, well most people are going to be hard over to the left as a matter of instinct, you can't open the door so you have to get out into a live carriageway. I can see they could work but other than the original route (M42?) around Birmingham I've found they are very poorly implemented.

[@SylvanApe]

If you break down you have the major issue that you can't pull in close to the side, you have to stop in the lane. If you do pull in close you can't exit the vehicle on the left side because of the barrier, so you either leave your car in a worse place and get safe, or make the road safer and try to exit your car into traffic. I was always told to be aware of possible escape/ditch points in case of breakdown etc, on these there is no option for this.

[@davidty2006]

Theres sure going to be incidents where vehicles are unable to keep momentum up to get to a official safe area. Compared to the hard shoulder that is normally a shorter distance aka a motorway's width.

[@simonavarne9635]

So just the same as major dual carriageways that we seem to have managed to live with for some time

[@SylvanApe]

@@simonavarne9635 Exactly the same, except for the 50% to 100% increase in road width. As well as the other factors to do with numbers of vehicles, type of vehicles, types of journey etc.

[@paulcollyer801]

Soooo, we covered this in a driver CPC, and also there was a detailed analytical programme on Radio 4 a few years back! The concept was initially trialled on the M42, refuge areas ever 800m, full CCTV & radar tech cover along the whole stretch, so if someone broke down, or there was an accident, the speed limits & lane closure ❌ signs were up in seconds. Because it was the full monty, it worked, and worked well. It was the full spec and all extras limousine of Smart Motorways. Then come the next few, and we were getting the Ford focus estate of Smart Motorways. Finally, they cut back even further & we’re now getting the 2nd hand dented oil burning Fiesta with a leaky exhaust sending fumes into the cabin. Great concept, brilliant if done right, but it’s not being done right and people are dying. When the Govt realised they messed up, they decided no more to be built, or that’s what they said. In reality, those contracted are being built several years later cos, they’d have to pay the cancellation costs if not!

[@IanMSpencer]

It is not true it worked. When it was implemented it coincided with a massive recession so it was never stress tested. There are lots of design faults with it. It does not have clever electronics, it has people watching screens who get things wrong (I've reported a lane closed for a breakdown where it was reopened just before the car because the operator guessed where the car was). No staff, no hard shoulder.

[@paulcollyer801]

@@IanMSpencer, not what I was told in the Radio 4 prog, but ho hum. With ALL the original designs in place they’re fairly safe, Fairly, but if radar tech and cameras have gaps then they’re pretty lethal. All the newer ones have gaps, and the refuges every half mile are now every mile & half

[@IanMSpencer]

@@paulcollyer801 I mentioned it elsewhere but for example, at J5 west the layby is too close to the junction so no count down because it could confuse - so now you get swooping as people miss the junction. The no power no lane default means that drivers have to understand not to use the hard shoulder when not explicitly signed. Cars running on the closed hard shoulder is commonplace. As a temporary fix they've introduced using the info signs to tell drivers not to use it - if the info signs aren't being used for something else. Drivers regularly steal the hard shoulder early when exiting the motorway. HA know all this and have acknowledged the problems when 8vevreported them, including with video evidence.

[@David_D.]

A vital factor about all lane running motorways with no hard shoulder is the fact that it takes the emergency services considerably longer to reach an incident than it would if there was a hard shoulder, putting lives at greater risk.

[@stevewalsh1987]

The problem with Smart Motorways is they are only as Smart as the people using them, but unfortunatley many are idiots.

[@thanosp.8140]

Well said.

[@allothernamesbutthis]

often they have conflicting speed limits too, especially around heathrow. 70,40,60,50,70 in the space of about a mile around J14-J15. sometimes it will be busy and they are not switched on and when it is quiet there will be miles of 50 limits.

[@thefrog2009]

So if you break down in the left lane on a 'Smart' motorway, and can't get to a safe area, how quickly can National Highways 'shut off' that lane? Because until then you're a sitting duck with nowhere to go. And even when they do shut it off with overhead gantry signs, you're still very much at risk. In my view that is not safer than having a continuous hard shoulder.

[@musography6958]

agreed 100%

[@Midge2006]

This 👆👆👆 Agree 100%

[@chinapig71]

@Anfield Road That's not the point. The accident , or the danger of one, is caused by other (stupid) people not the innocent party who has broken down. Thus, it is unfair to expose drivers doing everything correctly to these dangers which they have no control over.

[@David_D.]

@Anfield Road That's no consolation to the driver whose car has broken down and subsequently gets hit. The fact is that while being stopped on a hard shoulder is a dangerous place to be, it is far more dangerous to be stopped in lane 1 where there is no hard shoulder.

[@shm5547]

In that circumstance, then yes, a continuous hard shoulder would be safer. But people still get hit on hard shoulders, so it's not totally safe. A smart motorway makes other scenarios safer. A refuge, if you can make it, will provide better protection than a hard shoulder. Similarly, the radar (if it works!) on a smart motorway and digital signage, will give you a better chance if you happen to stop in lane 2/3. So overall, I can't see there's a much greater risk on a smart motorway. There are also plenty of dual-carriageways (the A1 for example), which have a lot of fast and heavy traffic, but no hard shoulder. As ever, it's driving to the conditions that is required.

[@stevenbryant2993]

I drive round the worst parts of the M25 every week, with constant 4 lane running and no hard shoulder. What I see driving that every week shows how much work there is still to go with changing attitudes and behaviours. A mixture of lane hoggers, people with literally no patience, ignoring gantries with lanes closed or speed restrictions/warnings and then slamming on brakes when they get to the queue/incident; and not to mention following so close to the car in front like they're in a British Touring Car race. I do think Smart Motorways are generally no more unsafe than normal motorways, if everyone follows the rules. But people don't and that's where the problem arises.

[@gravemind6536]

Smart motorways are far less safe due to the removal of the hard shoulder.

[@stevenbryant2993]

@@gravemind6536 I should've also said as well that if they were built as originally planned and tested, as originally there was supposed to be sensors in the road every 50m I think, and refuge points every 1/4 mile or something, but like everything in this country it was done on the cheap, so there's far less sensors and refuge areas. If everyone drove to the letter of the law they would be fine, but of course that's far from the case.

[@gravemind6536]

@@stevenbryant2993 Even if there were adequate sensors we all know sensors fail all the time so over time issues would develop anyway also even in ideal utopia you propose its still benefical to have a hard shoulder. A hard shoulder is an excellent escape route in the event of brake failure or heat fade which could cause a critical accident given that this often occurs on HGVs. A hard shoulder also gives the option for someone to swerve if cut up too. A hard shoulder is still safer in the event of a brake down than a smart motorway even if implemented correctly. I would back smart motorways if and only if they have a hard shoulder.

[@cmartin_ok]

Yup, and there are some people who won't use lane 1 because they are worried they could run into a broken down car, and on the M25 there are people who won't use lanes 1 or 2 and hog lane 3 creating long slow-moving queues of traffic to get past them

[@stevesmith7530]

@@gravemind6536 Wrong. The hard shoulder (where present) is the most dangerous lane on any motorway, it is why even there people are told to get out of their vehicle and to the other side of any barrier.

[@lorenzostransportvlogs]

we've got a few of these in sydney (hi from australia!!) biggest issue with them here is that they're only being implemented on new motorways or upgraded motorways, which are always tolled. and because our tolls are so high, no one uses our motorways, so they do absolutely nothing to ease congestion on the arterials, so the smart aspect doesn't matter, because if no one's using the motorways, doesn't matter how much capacity there is, because it never gets used up anyway

[@harrycheng9348]

Blame transurban

[@BuyOneGetOneFree]

Over here in the UK our motorways can often resemble car-parks as they are mostly free-to-use (.... at the moment?). Smart motorways could work in some situations over here, eg. we often get long queues to exit motorways at busy junctions so could assist traffic flow around these.

[@NPW007]

I don't yet drive but give me a couple of years and i will be right here supporting the channel!

[@paulcollyer801]

I wish you luck in the future, and hope your instructor is as good as Ashley. Points to note, some instructors will teach you to pass the test, not to drive. (There’s a subtle difference that life experience will open your eyes to, long after you pass.) You really don’t become a “Good Driver” until you have a good 10,000 hrs of safe driving experience. Keep to what you were taught & don’t cut corners in driving habits; hardest thing for me learning to drive HGVs was breaking ALL the BAD habits. I’ve kept to the good ones since, and have taught several family members to drive safely and properly. Keep to the good habits. Stay safe, and enjoy

[@NPW007]

@@paulcollyer801 thanks dude Appreciate it!

[@paulcollyer801]

@@NPW007, also, going by your “handle” good luck in the DofE too

[@NPW007]

@@paulcollyer801 thanks again, always nice to find that there are nice people on the Internet

[@ohmatron8360]

Imagine this dude at home....... "Now Liz, should you of put the table salt there ? Liz, if you'd slowly moved the salt past the right-hand side of the tomato ketchup you could of safely popped the salt down next to the brown sauce - what would you do if the vinegar was inbetween the red sauce and the brown sauce ? Is there another safe manoeuvre you could do with the table salt, Liz ? "

[@jasonk7072]

All the money spent on these 4 lane motorways could have been saved by teaching and enforcing lane discipline. Instead we’ve got two lanes for people to ignore rather than one and put anyone unfortunate enough to have an issue in considerable danger.

[@SBKDisco]

So true, 55mph lane hogs failing to move across to lanes 1 & 2, so HGV's either undertake or hold station just behind while the traffic queue grows behind them.

[@elliothunter2579]

"This is Liz - She's the boss" - Getting that in nice and early Ash, love it :D - Great video, I don't encounter SM's a lot up my way here in Scotland, but this is a great bit of info for when I ever have to do so!

[@PoliceWitnessPont]

"It's just common sense" It's often said, the problem with common sense is that it's not very common :)

[@ZEN43D]

Would love to see a visit to a control centre, i think that would be very insightful for us all.

[@cloudmaker]

Having enjoyed watching this Ashley I just want to take issue with one point, that is that lorry drivers do not drive to close to save fuel it is the speed limiters that unfortunately make some drive too close before pulling out to overtake. Personally if a lorry pulls out behind me I knock the speed down and get them past quicker it only takes a few seconds and if they are going faster they will soon be out of the way.

[@misterflibble9799]

The problem is that, if you pull out to overtake at the correct distance, you get car drivers complaining about you "unnecessarily" getting in their way and "blocking up the road". Many will then drive aggressively and brake-check or cut you up to "teach you a lesson". It's not trying to save fuel, it's trying to avoid causing delay to the traffic behind.

[@cactusbase3088]

I wish all hgv drivers were as thoughtful and gracious as you.

[@cloudmaker]

@@cactusbase3088 Thank you for that.

[@cloudmaker]

@@misterflibble9799 Yes Sir you are absolutely right. Then when you block the lanes driving to the letter you get damn stupid no overtaking lane schemes so that cars can go faster then you end up following a car at 50 or less in the left lane holding us all up when our driving time is limited and regulated constantly.

[@Zerofightervi]

I'm a class 1 driver & I'm on these "smart" motorways a lot. They are without doubt the worst parts of my journey. I drive on the M4 on the regular stretch with a hard shoulder & I saw 5 separate vehicles stopped, combination of bonnets up & obvious flat tyres. Had any of these vehicles stopped on a smart motorway it would have caused absolute chaos for everyone else behind them, just listen to Radio 2. Lane closure after lane closure that just wouldn't happen on a regular motorway. Another thing I've noticed is nobody drives on the inside lane anyway, people overtake me & then they get fixated on the next vehicle that's a mile down the road. It also causes people to drive like they're on an unrestricted autobahn once they hit the regular motorway, no overhead gantries to flash them. & what is with 40 mph on a motorway? Insane.

[@highdownmartin]

There’s no way a smart motorway is as safe as a hard shouldered one. Fooling yourself that it’ll be fine and the signage will protect you , everyone driving around you is as aware and undistracted as you are, and “ they” wouldn’t introduce them if they weren’t safe, is putting your underpants on your head sticking a couple of pencils up your nose and saying “Bibble”

[@Rover200Power]

*Wibble

[@highdownmartin]

@@Rover200Power I think you’re right. They’ll be a fair few not getting the reference anyroad!

[@SBKDisco]

I drive on "Smart Motorways" almost every day, they are dangerous with the potential for making a breakdown or minor incident into something extremely serious and possibly fatal. Far too often I've seen a stranded vehicle with several miles of gridlocked traffic behind, and no way through for emergency vehicles. The weight of traffic on motorways makes a shoulder an absolute necessity, if only to allow recovery vehicles or the emergency services to get through to the incident, air ambulances often require a completely closed motorway, so much for keeping traffic flowing which is one of the main aims behind these motorways.

[@Rhole]

I broke down on the M1 in South Yorkshire on the Smart section. In lane 3. Total loss of power. Only by sheer luck that I costed with no difficulty to lane 1. I happened to have broken down 800m from the J35 exit slip road going North. I was able to coast up the slip road where there was still a hard shoulder. If it was any sooner or later then I can't imagine if I would even be here now. It was extremely busy at around 8:45am. A truck driver in Lane 2 carrying new cars on a loader saw my hazards and read the situation. Ever since that moment I dread and avoid these sections. Unless I have to. Before that I thought they were a very good idea. Now, I would like to see them all scrapped.

[@alanharvey9720]

You say, and in regard to people "moaning" about "smart" motorways, "it's not the smart motorways or infrastructure, it's the person driving". That doesn't make sense if we think about it. If any driver's way/style/manner of driving is affected by any attribute of any "smart" motorway, i.e. where he or she drives in a way that they wouldn't normally drive on a standard motorway, then if that piece of driving is poor or hazardous to other road users, it is the "smart" motorway and/or its infrastructure that caused that poor style/manner of driving to occur.

[@ashley_neal]

It’s following too close at too high speed without forward planning that lets people down. This doesn’t just happen on smart motorways

[@alanharvey9720]

@@ashley_neal I disagree ... Following too closely occurs on all roads and in all weathers. People need to realise that if they multiply their speed in mph by 1.5 that will give them their speed in fps. The general rule is a 2-second gap in dry conditions ... 4 seconds if wet ... *I could go on all night on this one but it has nothing that pertains particularly to smart motorways!* Incidentally, the HC needs to be updated to consider braking and overall stopping distances. The 315ft stopping distance from 70mph for example has been given as that figure since the 1960's at least, (ABS to consider etc)

[@ashley_neal]

You’ve just argued against your initial point Alan. The problems you talk about aren’t reserved for smart motorways 👍

[@alanharvey9720]

@@ashley_neal Nope! Disagree completely with what you now say.-- in order to argue against my points, you should know that you need to address each one and in so doing, point out precisely where I was wrong and where you were right. My "initial point" was, *_"Following too closely occurs on all roads and in all weathers."_* Where did I argue against myinitial point? Of course, the "problems" which we both talk of, aren't "reserved" for "smart" motorways. The "problems" that are "reserved for "smart " motorways are those that have been pretty well made public since their inception. You began your post with, *_"It’s following too close at too high speed without forward planning that lets people down."_* What is? .. *in relation, SOLELY, to smart motorways?* We all know that what you have just said applies to many situations -- but it doesn't apply solely to "smart" motorways and that is what you imply in your post. Please try to explain exactly, where I, "argued against my initial point", because you haven't explained that very well at all. The fact is, it is you who hasn't been able to substantiate, to explain what you claim.

[@ashley_neal]

Have a read of all the thread again. 👍

[@Dr3Mc3Ninja]

I would recommend that everyone buy a water-proof, high visibility bomber jacket, they are thick and warm, and have lots of pockets. I have one that sits in the boot all the time, and it proved useful within a week of me driving my own car. Country road, like 20 bullocks jumped the hedge and were on the road. There was a blind bend so anyone coming round at speed could get a bullock on their bonnet. Jacket on, traffic slowed down immediately without even having to wave them down. I already bought a Viofo because you recommended them, I've missed out on a deal~

[@jaycee330]

If you hit it from behind, you would have bullock bollocks on the bonnet. :D

[@saulaac2971]

Dunno if you have seen ‘Chris Martin EMS’ channel? He’s an emergency response driver and sometimes narrates his live runs. Situational awareness is off the scale. Would you perhaps consider doing a joint video where you perhaps discuss a) what emergency responders require from road users and b) the sorts of things we drivers should bear in mind when we see/hear an emergency vehicle etc.?

[@kenbrown2808]

the UK's lack of rules for yielding to emergency vehicles is very distressing for this yank. in the US, all traffic is required to pull to the hard shoulder or as close as possible and STOP, while not blocking any junctions; when they see and hear lights and sirens. many areas have a system in place where the emergency vehicle overrides any traffic lights, turning the emergency vehicle's direction green, so other traffic can get through the intersection to clear the lane for the emergency vehicle.

[@saulaac2971]

Ashley I just noticed that you and Chris know each other already, so forget my previous post hehe! 👍 And @Ken, I agree that we should pull over and stop as soon as is safe to do so. I remember stories over the years that UK drivers were reluctant to creep forward over a red light to let an ambulance pass for fear of getting clocked by automatic cameras. Never happened to me but I can imagine there might be lots of paperwork involved to get the fine waived etc.. So I guess all we can do is continue to drive with care and common sense.

[@kenbrown2808]

@@saulaac2971 i just saw on a video on our red light cameras that ours will not catch a person who stops and then sneaks through. But i think every traffic light should be set up for emergency vehicles to change them. It's a lot safer than emergency responders getting in the habit of going through red lights.

[@ArminGrewe]

@@kenbrown2808 there is actually guidance for how to deal with emergency vehicles in the Highway Code, rule 219: "Emergency and Incident Support vehicles. You should look and listen for ambulances, fire engines, police, doctors or other emergency vehicles using flashing blue, red or green lights and sirens or flashing headlights, or Highways Agency Traffic Officer and Incident Support vehicles using flashing amber lights. When one approaches do not panic. Consider the route of such a vehicle and take appropriate action to let it pass, while complying with all traffic signs. If necessary, pull to the side of the road and stop, but try to avoid stopping before the brow of a hill, a bend or narrow section of road. Do not endanger yourself, other road users or pedestrians and avoid mounting the kerb. Do not brake harshly on approach to a junction or roundabout, as a following vehicle may not have the same view as you." With the often narrow roads in the UK the guidance you seem to have in the US (" all traffic is required to pull to the hard shoulder or as close as possible and STOP, while not blocking any junctions; when they see and hear lights and sirens") is actually in many cases counterproductive. Especially on narrower roads the emergency services don't want drivers to pull over and stop immediately. They only want them to pull over and stop if it's safe to do so and they can actually make space for the emergency vehicles to pass. In other cases they want drivers to continue at safe speeds until they can safely move out of the way. Emergency service vehicles don't want to overtake on a blind bend or before the brow of a hill because a car has stopped for them, they rather want the car to continue until they can either move out of the way or the view is clear to overtake. Can't remember a specific example, but I'm pretty confident Ashley has dealt with this in a couple of his videos.

[@kenbrown2808]

@@ArminGrewe he's had a few recently where he spoke about it. Still the point is the difference between the uk's "you should" and the US' "obstructing an emergency vehicle is a fine and points"

[@David_D.]

A vital factor about all lane running motorways with no hard shoulder is the fact that it takes the emergency services considerably longer to reach an incident than it would if there was a hard shoulder, putting lives at greater risk.

[@wessexdruid7598]

My experience - in 45 years of driving, including professionally - is that the overhead warning signs are only valid one time in four. I routinely keep count - and that figure hasn't changed, in decades. Primarily, it's because an issue has happened, been cleared - but the warning/speed limit left on. (I remember one time when about 25 miles of the M4 was given a 40mph limit because of very high winds, on the Friday - the limit was still active, for the whole distance, on the Sunday. What this means is that we, the taxpayer, have spent billions of pounds on a system teaching drivers that it is safe to ignore it.

[@ravensthorne4631]

I think some drivers are nervous about using lane 1. Since the M27 was converted to a Smart motorway, lane 1 is empty half the time, with lanes 2 to 4 busy. I end up having to overtake on the inside to avoid causing more congestion. Granted, the Highways Agency changed some of the sliproad configurations, which is confusing to locals after years of using the junctions the way they were.

[@paul756uk2]

Yes, I use the M27 and was going to point out that lane 1 is sometimes an extended slip road and therefore has less traffic. This is a real bone of contention with me, not when driving solo but I tow a caravan and therefore spend most time in lane 1. Sections of lane 1 of the M25 also has less traffic because it isn't 'through traffic ' but a slip road. There's no indication (until you reach a sign gantry approaching the junction) whether or not that lane will end at the next junction or not so I can't judge whether to stay in that lane or move into lane 1. 2 things I hate doing is lane hogging and keep changing lanes. It's something you have to constantly weigh up when driving. Ie, faster traffic behind against slower and more traffic in lane 1 etc. There's no indication whether or not these lanes will end at the next junction or not so I never know whether to move over or not. Being local to the area shouldn't be a factor. Signs should indicate which lane to be in. This is the only area of driving which bugs me because of inadequate signage. Am I missing something?

[@ravensthorne4631]

@@paul756uk2 The extended sliproads were changed when it became a Smart motorway. For example, you used to be able to go from J7 to J8 without moving out from the sliproad, but now you can't. Fair enough, but there are no signs saying that priorities and lane layouts have changed, so drivers were constantly braking and swerving at the last moment.

[@paul756uk2]

@@ravensthorne4631 yes that's the hedge end junction isn't it? I remember that but having driven past it recently I can't say I noticed that change but I have noticed the extended slip roads are recent. One of the big problems was Whiteley at peak times with stationary traffic extending on to lane 1.

[@phillipsiviter2024]

Nearest motorway to me is the M9/M73 south of Perth, thus I haven't been on a regular motorway - let alone a smart one since moving to the far north in 2008 but this is useful for when I do.

[@MartinBarker]

It's funny you say about not getting to a safety refuge, i have been in an accident on a motorway blocking the outside lane, but in between both directions there was dual metal barriers so i got out drivers side into the middle of the 2 direction and then phoned police to get rescued from there and officer said i did the right thing because it was safer to be in between 2 barriers than sat in my car in the outside lane, especially with the number of people ignoring the RED X, and this was on smart motor way the lane had been stopped before i could get my seat belt of to get out i was amazed at how fast the lane was turned off.

[@toxigames]

I was travelling along a smart motorway the other night and they were workers on the other side. VMS had 2 red X's and 2 40mph they were people getting flashed by the cameras for disobedience.

[@ibs5080]

Very nice to see this Q & A with your other half Ash and that we finally get to "meet" her. One major issue I can see with those refuge areas: Any vehicle that made it to the safety refuge is likely going to have stopped some distance along the short refuge area, since it would have had to use it's length for braking distance. Those refuge areas are pretty short, so what happens if the stricken vehicle needs to be towed or loaded onto the back of a breakdown recovery vehicle? When the tow truck / breakdown recovery vehicle arrives, there will be no room in front of the stricken vehicle to pull in, in front of the broken down vehicle. Or at very best, have to slow right down to parking speeds in live Lane 1 in order to have enough braking distance to pull in - assuming there is even room. At least with a full hard shoulder, the recovery vehicle can pull in and use a decent distance of hard shoulder to first stop and then reverse back to the vehicle it came to recover. I can imagine this situation is a lot worse if more than one vehicle has had to use the emergency refuge. Again, if there was a continuous hard shoulder, striken vehicles could spread themselves out in terms of deciding where to stop.

[@Stuartalison]

Highways normally red X the next lane and block with traffic officers

[@robbutterill1426]

I’ve been working on a stretch of smart motorway for about a year now - I have to say they’re not as bad as some make out. however there is no clear solution as whilst giving an extra lane is good, the feasibility of building extra Emergency Areas every 300 yards (like on the M42 J6 near Brum Airport) isn’t possible due to the existing conditions. The hard shoulder was never as safe as daily mail made out - stranded vehicles are a huge issue on smart mways - so it is a concern to see so much of the technology (the smart in the smart motorways) failing or not working as it should. In essence, i think the only way they will work is with robust testing of the systems before installation, mandatory education for all new drivers and for those caught lane hogging/speeding, smart mways to be taught as part of the driver courses.

[@sahhull]

M1 Northbound a couple a weeks ago. I had a tyre blowout. Lucky it let go 20 yards before the SOS space, so I could pull in. The SOS phone was broken. ( reported it to the police when I got home) No hard shoulder isnt safe.

[@crazyt1483]

It’s not just smart motorways is some duel carriageways and lorries as a few weeks back there was someone in the left lane so I slowed down slightly while I evaluated if I could merge into the right lane but during that brief moment thanks to the lorry in the left lane behind me it became I must get over as if I tried to stop he’d either go through me or jackknife, luckily there was enough space for me to filter a car though and the lorry just cut up the person behind

[@MatrixFuse]

14:26 I can confirm that when rejoining from a yellow refuse area, the standard thing they do is close the lane through the gantry signs, they then call you back to make sure you've cleared saftley and then they clear the X

[@cactusbase3088]

then they send you a court summons for using a mobile phone whilst driving 😂

[@MatrixFuse]

@@cactusbase3088 I wouldn't be surprised... if the filth had anything to do with they would.

[@pauliboo2]

I always wondered why you hadn’t got Viofo sponsorship, it’s a really good fit, and thanks for sharing info on their other products, I wasn’t aware, and will definitely look into some cycling cameras

[@seeitsayitdoggo]

Here's some info on how it works. By reducing the speed limit in advance of a queue it means that the queue has time to stretch out. This prevents a 'traffic snake' that travels up the motorway that lasts for hours. On a motorway with variable speed limits, you'll pretty much never go 70mph into standstill traffic, basically eliminating rear end crashes due to not spotting standstill traffic in time. Also, traffic going 50mph has a slightly smaller following distance than at 70mph, which increases capacity by 5-10% on average. If everyone's travelling the same speed, they stay in lane because changing lanes is completely pointless, which also increases capacity. There are traffic counters and loops which measure the volume of traffic on the Birmingham stretch, when vehicles per hour goes over a certain threshold it will lower the speed limit entirely automatically. Same with detecting slow moving queues, giving drivers instructions to slow down to 40mph on approach to the back of a queue.

[@ciaranwebb6871]

you can have all those features without turning the emergency lane into a permanent live running lane tbh.

[@Groot-zc5rz]

Also if cars go slower they can travel closer together Increasing the volume of traffic through pinch points.

[@Lunavii_Cellest]

Those matrixsigns as we call them in the Netherlands are the standard. Nearly every highway i know except the A270 has these. They are also usefull for spitsstroken or rush hourlanes which are the hard shoulders that can be opened for traffic during rush hour, this is used in a couple place in the Netherlands like on the A10 in Amsterdam and on the A50 between Arnhem and Apeldoorn.

[@DontPanicDear]

The Smart element of monitoring and speed / traffic management at peak times is a good idea. Using the hard shoulder as a running lane 1, is almost criminally negligent.

[@simonavarne9635]

It's no different to dual carriage ways which don't have hard shoulders but seem to work ok.

[@DontPanicDear]

@@simonavarne9635 There are many vital differences that made Smart motorways so much more dangerous for vehicles on the hard shoulder! These differences have been causing multiple fatal accidents, when the hard shoulder is used for a running lane, that don’t tend to happen en-mass on dual carriageways. It’s not to difficult to think of a few if you want to.

[@maxbacon4828]

@@simonavarne9635 Many have explained on this topic that there is usually a grass verge or something to drive across rather than a steel barrier right on the edge of the carriageway.

[@simonavarne9635]

@@maxbacon4828 But by no means always. Take the A3 at Kingston for example, 3 lanes with steel fence immediately on each side.

[@TheDAMeaning]

Thanks Ashley very informative. Mostly common sense but it's good to have the correct procedures spelt out like that 👍

[@richardhewitt.easyvanlife.6957]

Good points , and common sense. She even talks funny like you.

[@DisleyDavid]

On the M6 last week the operators on the M6 closed off 2 lanes for a breakdown on a ‘smart’ section. This caused queues of at least 10 miles. Previously they rarely closed off any lanes for vehicles stopped on the hard shoulder.

[@shainoo7885]

Unfortunately not long ago a person broke down on the motorway and due to cars spending and being close they hit the back of the car and the person died, not enough is done about speeding or tailgating on motorways, even when lanes are closed people carry on using them.

[@paulcollyer801]

I listened to a programme on Radio 4 and they had the 30seconds of a call to breakdown of an incident of this type. Fellow’s last words were something like, “Oh GOD!” Then the operator was trying to get a response. They edited out the crash itself.

[@FoxyPKO]

Of course you put this video out the day after I come back from a 400 mile round trip from Chester to Newcastle. Sods law lol

[@PoliceWitnessPont]

I work in Leeds, the problem I've found (other than I'm the only one in the smart lane when it's open) is the NON-smart motorways around here lots of drivers now think it's appropriate to queue on the permanent hard shoulder for the slip road like they do on the smart motorway sections (like the M1 section north of Leeds). The issue then is that when you arrive at the junction there's nowhere to pull off as the junction is blocked by those queueing on the hard shoulder (at rush hour this can stretch back a mile on some junctions).

[@driving_all_over]

M5 J12 had something very similar to this happening in the years after it was rebuilt. They even changed some of the hard shoulder into an exit lane but reverted this once the junction had traffic lights installed. It still causes the odd issue even now

[@MartinParnham]

There’s a similar issue on M6 J8 where you turn off for the M5. Quite often the hard shoulder is a designated live lane but, sometimes, in lighter traffic, it isn’t. I’ve seen people getting in the lane to turn off, because they assume it’s “live”, then realise it isn’t and have to try and get back across. Either that or people just drive down it regardless. Some of that would be alleviated by having the matrix sign earlier, to notify people sooner, but the junctions are quite close together on that stretch.

[@Richard_Barnes]

Thanks for the discount. I am tempted……… I don’t know what it is with your video’s and my iPad Pro but every video opens up in good HD and then rapidly drops back to 480. 😂 A bit fuzzy for my older eyes 🤷🏻‍♂️ The iPad app is do damn annoying for this. Anyway, good video Ashley, superb info and “hello Liz” 🙏🏻🙂👍🏻

[@jvoric]

Do you have a specific resolution set for the video? KZbin app will adapt video quality to your connection speed & other factors. Check out the three vertical dots in the video window.. you can set a specific quality in that menu.

[@Richard_Barnes]

@@jvoric Yeah mine is set to ‘higher quality’ but the app is a bit annoying in that many times it drops it down. BUT, it wouldn’t surprise me if my WiFi is causing the issue too. 👍🏻

[@paulcollyer801]

Watch mine on an iPhone mostly, no issues with video quality there but the screen aint too big. Have you tried pausing the video to allow it to load ahead? Might be an issue with internet speed. I too am one with much life experience & no IT skills

[@netcald991]

@@Richard_Barnes don’t worry, it’s KZbin being cheap as lower resolutions is cheaper for them and easier on their servers 😄if you pressed advanced then 1080p or 1440p instead of higher quality that should be it at a fixed resolution

[@Richard_Barnes]

@@paulcollyer801 I think it’s more to do with the bloody app. Cus if I just watch KZbin using Safari then it’s always ok and set to the right quality. Something bizarre happens with the app and a lot of ppl moan about it as well.

[@kevinh96]

This particular stretch you were driving on highlights the problem I have with smart motorways. Refuge areas are much too far apart, they should be at least every half a mile, the overhead gantries to warn of lane closures and breakdowns are also far too far apart as well. You drove for several minutes without seeing any overhead gantries at all, which could be very dangerous if a vehicle is stuck in a live lane. When everyone is following the rules, and no vehicles break down then sure, they seem to work fine but it's when the unexpected happens that they become far more dangerous in my opinion. They turn an otherwise risky but relatively easy to deal with situation (get onto the hard shoulder out of the path of fast moving traffic, cross the barrier to safety and then call for help) into something way more dangerous.

[@raydriver7300]

Good morning Ashley. I follow you and am catching up on years of your videos on KZbin. Thanks for sharing. Interesting as always. 🌞

[@MartinParnham]

You are both too cool for school! 😎😀 That’s a stretch of motorway I have driven on a lot over the years and still do, now and again. I tend to treat it like any other motorway. The stretch up around the Birmingham junctions would make a good video as that’s often busier and has a lot of things you describe in the video. Part of the M42 around Solihull (after the TOTSO) has the refuge areas/lay-bys and they are spaced quite close together.

[@steamhammer2k]

I think that age is one of the best tools you can have in life, use it.. It has given me ability to stay safe by seeing trends that appear just before to dangers. I always say It may be impossible to see the future. however trends are far easier to see. Look for them all the time it will enlighten you more than you can ever imagine

[@JohnBurnet1]

I appreciate this video Ashley and found it very useful. Luckily I do not use motorways much and really do not agree with the smart motorways, but the video makes me feel a bit better about them. I agree with your better half that the older you are the wiser you get and I am old, a biker and IAM trained but your videos are always a good lesson.

[@duncanpenfold5793]

Perhaps you need to speak to some traffic officers ambulance drivers or even Clare Mercer!!! Great that this video is sponsored by Dash cams as the grieving family will have some evidence of the fatal day on a live lane hard shoulder that no ambulance could reach.

[@shm5547]

I've noticed quite a few motorists on 4-lane smart motorways not just refusing to use lane 1, but lane 2 too! Happily bumbling along in lane 3. I'll be damned if I'm crossing three lanes to pass them, so I do carefully undertake in lane 1 in this circumstance.

[@Bin-The-L-Plates]

Another great video, and spent a while looking out for myself as it was on my patch. Nice to see Mrs. Neal on the vlog, my ‘boss’ aka SWMBO, refuses to drive on the motorway to the point that she will sit in the back. Some great points covered and it’d be interesting to see inside the control centre. I think a lot of the issues are to do with the human element, the ABD found out under a Freedom of Info request that the average time to respond to an incident was 15 mins.

[@mikehunter2844]

What would you do if you've moved into lane 3 from 4 doing 60mph and both lanes 2 and 4 started to slow down . Would you stay in 3 and pass both, or slow down to their speed???

[@shawnrahoon6789]

I would keep to my speed and pass both lanes. The Code in rule 268 says do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. If I was to slow down to match the speed of other 2 lanes I would be obstructing traffic behind.

[@nickrobinson1954]

Come on Ashley, where is ‘common sense’ in motorway motorists? Virtually non-existent! A great video, well-needed. I just hope that millions of motorists watch it and implement your information.

[@blueberrysavers3547]

Hope you get on the m6 13-15. Last time ive been (april or may 2022), four lanes open southbound, three lanes open northbound (lane one closed). 60mph on both directions. Lane one should open within a few weeks when construction is finished(as of when this comment was written)

[@simonlloyd74sl]

All lanes NB and SB are open the sixty limit is still in force. They were due to finish the roadworks last September, but were told to install the Stopped Vehicle Detection system, while they installed that they have also built 5 additional ERAs (Emergency Refuge Areas)

[@blueberrysavers3547]

I think when i said that lane one should be open, i meant 'within a few weeks since the last time ive been'. I cant believe the project has been delayed for ten months. It was odd that there was some construction north but not southbound making it an asymmetric road at the time. But at least the north lanes are now open!

[@davenz000]

They've tried smart motorways in NZ, no one follows the speed signs, many don't follow lane closure signs and there's no automatic enforcement (and the Police are too busy to do it).

[@fsr170409]

Great educational upload. I'm an advanced car and motorcycle driver.Iconstantly monitor what's going on around me,and use the old IPSGA mantra to my advantage. Don't be the meat in the sandwich also comes to mind .At all times I always have an escape plan ready.

[@ibs5080]

I've encountered some smart motorways (going up to NEC in Birmingham is a good example), whereby when the hard shoulder is a live running lane, the variable message signs state that the hard shoulder should only be used if exiting the motorway at the next exit. Indeed in some such cases, the running hard shoulder lane becomes a lane drop at the exit. Of course, some drivers wishing to carry on the main carriageway will then use the running hard shoulder as a "cheat lane" to get ahead of the long queue of traffic in the lanes to their right and then make their way back onto the main carriageway.

[@philblinkhorn8304]

Even the government no longer believes Smart Motorways are smart. Look at the signage around the inordinately lengthy stretches currently being converted. The signage has been changed to say Digital Motorway. The only smart thing about them is the operators are smart enough to realise that if a restriction is left on for a considerable distance with no apparent reason, there will be enough frustrated drivers who will eventually break the limit and contribute to the revenue that helps pay for a criminally dangerous and very expensive system.

[@xj358]

I'm not sure too many UK truck drivers stick so close to the truck in front in order to save fuel. They stick there because of the ridiculous speed limiters fitted to UK trucks which can be as low as 50mph. The law stipulates 60mph so why are there simply thousands of UK trucks with their limiters set much lower. Don't miss a second of it since moving down under many years ago where our trucks are limited to 100kmph (62mph). It really does make a hugh difference.

[@kennethcroll6972]

hello Ashley, a few weeks back i sent a link to a taxi the broke down on the A 78 just outside Irvine. he got out of the taxi and seconds later a van hit the taxi sending it flying down the road into a tree where the drive was standing. he was lucky he was not kill 2 times

[@paulcollyer801]

Point to note there, and one I taught all my family pupils:- When you get out, get behind the armco, and behind the car. You’re then in the safest place if your car is hit.

[@kennethcroll6972]

@@paulcollyer801 thats what the taxi driver did not do, when he got out, he went in front of his taxi, like you said wrong place to be standing

[@JW93.]

Used to like these videos but your selling yourself out more and more to these sponsors Ashley. Selling your soul

[@namara22]

I’m actually a massive fan of the smart motorways! I myself as a commuter have found it really has made a difference. A lot of the issues are the human element and it’s all too quick for drivers to blame incidents and accidents on the smart motorway rather than blame the drivers who ignore the gantries, ignore the speed limit, travel to closely and don’t use their common sense! Really informative Ashley. A lot of drivers (me being one of them) has learnt a lot from your videos more than what the government or highways agency hand out to us.

[@davidty2006]

Theres pretty much always going to be the idiot drivers.... Sometimes you got to design infrastructure to get around that issue.

[@paulcollyer801]

Not watched the video yet; but have a read of my comment.

[@bobholness8442]

It is that human element which makes them dangerous. There should always be a safe refuge in cases of breaking down. They should have added a new hard shoulder next to this new lane instead of putting a sticking plaster on the problem of congestion.

[@JurivonStolzenberg14]

I would recommend drivers alwasy to keep eyes on lorries wheels. They carry lots of weight and do hard work . Any tyre can burst at any time ( sometimes damage is not visible for driver from outside ) . Any bkiw out can destabilise a trucks trajectory instantly and chaos across next lanes starts.

[@Lanzy4lee]

As a professional lorry driver the concept is great of paper but the standard of driving makes them ineffective and increasingly has greater risk . Lorries tailgating is a big issue 95 percent of lorries are driven by drivers who don’t pay for its fuel so they ain’t doing it for fuel saving they are doing it because they are poor drivers full stop . If u r in trouble the first thing on your mind is get off the lane ASAP why don’t they just et the barriers back just 4 feet more and out hardcore down then your off the road . I’ve advised everyone I know if your break down on a master motorway if you can get it off the lane even in a grass verge. Then get out passenger side ASAP

[@Jimages_uk]

I have to take issue with you there, lorries don't follow close to try to save fuel, the bunching up NEVER happened until speed limiters were fitted, and because they are all slightly different (mainly due to tyre wear) trucks tend to creep up on each other, and because that creep is quite slow, but the need to progress is quite strong (delivery times and driving hours targets) they tend to get very close, before making those painfully slow overtakes. I know, it will only save a few minutes over the course of a day, but when you are on a tight schedule, having to ease off can feel stressful. Other drivers could help, by easing off for just those few seconds, to allow overtaking to be faster, but most don't. I'm not a truck driver any more, but would always ease off to allow other trucks to get past sooner.

[@Luke121201]

if a ‘lorry driver’ is doing 60mph in lane 1 & is 3 car lengths back from ‘car’ doing 70mph and the car ahead gets engine failure or puncture and is losing an average of 5mph per second its would be ‘IMPOSSIBLE NOT to hit.’ The ‘lorry driver’ would NOT be able to brake efficiently to slow down to gradual halt or change lane. Most of the time lorry drivers don’t have the space to react and change lane if there is danger. You should always design roads with the Most extreme hypothetical safety concerns in mind. This poor design puts lives at risk, unnecessarily! ‘Hazard lights’ would not save this these hypothetical ‘lives’, a hard shoulder would. As tyre blow outs are the most common breakdown, unfortunately, there is only a matter of time when these ‘lives are lost for real’.

[@kenbrown2808]

I was driving one day and had a catastrophic blowout. it took over a quarter mile to lose enough air to be a handling issue, and I think I went another mile before I found a safe place to pull off. I was driving another day, and had a catastrophic fuel injection failure, and was able to coast a half mile to a pullout big enough for a tow truck to come fetch me. the only catastrophic failure I've had someone I know experienced that caused immediate deceleration, was when my dad dropped a valve into a cylinder; and even then after the initial shock, he was able to declutch and go from skidding to coasting. the kind of breakdown that stops a car as hard as a panic braking maneuver is a once in a generation sort of thing. and hard shoulders are no guarantee of safety.

[@paulhawkins6415]

What do I now about smart motorways? They cost an inordinate amount of money; the variable speed limit never goes over 60 and if you break down you will probably die. Mind you, they are really good for lory drag racing. It doesn't take six seconds though, it takes six miles.

[@steveparker9946]

A fairly good list of the *additional* risks introduced by putting live traffic into the hard shoulder. And none of the mitigations claimed - "there are some tiny laybys, with no certainty of where they will be" and "in the rare case of stopping completely on a live line without being able to even coast to the actual hard shoulder, then you'd be in just as much sh*t as you would on a 'smart' motorway" offer much consolation at all. Yes, they increase throughput, but at the cost of a very highly increased risk. The correct conversation to have is to acknowledge that, and then have the actuarial discussion: "Can we as a society consider higher motorway throughput, at the cost of additional lives lost on the motorways, a price worth paying?" It may well be that we overall consider that risk to be worth it, but we have to be honest that there is a very high increase to the risk. That risk is balanced against the fact that motorways have a starting point of being safer than other roads, but that isn't in itself an argument in favour of making motorways more dangerous places to be than they were before. The motorway system was designed around the fact that we have high congestion, high speed roads, and that risk is mitigated by having an (almost) permanent hard shoulder.

[@harryobrien150100]

Today on a motorway in Sydney: sign on gantry "slow down merge right accident ahead" - slowed us to variable speed of 80kph. I move into middle lane. Then the variable speed goes back to 100, "oh they must've cleared the accident", I speed back up and move to the left, and then about a km down the road a car is stopped and I have to slow to 40kph (according to police sign) - luckily I wasn't caught out and it was quiet but pretty poor planning. In theory the variable speed limits to slow people into incidents are great.

[@robertwoolfe8183]

I had a blow out whilst on the (not very) smart motorway. Made it to the next layby but still an awful experience. Also not happy when I see a teacher continually talking with his hands whilst driving. I talk with my hands, but never whilst driving (sorry, I shall now extricate my head from up my backside. I am right though 🤣)

[@ibs5080]

A visit to a motorway control centre would be very interesting Ash. I have seen short clips of such in some of those "Motorway Cops" type documentaries but it's always very short footage. I'm sure also your explanations of how things work would be far more interesting.

[@PB72UK]

I like the last question, as nobody plays a blind bit of notice to those overhead speed limits when I've been on the motorway .. it may say 60 or even 40 yet everyone is still whizzing by at 80-90mph ... And then people wonder why accidents happen on motorways and smart motorways.. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@nigelhughes2947]

Not really been on a smart motorway myself , from the video the issue for me is how close cars are following the lorries in the inside lane , in effect you are TRUSTING the lorry in front for you health and safety you leave yourself no escape route . I would not be keen to travel in the inside lane . For me keep up to national speed and keep alert .

[@jarthurs]

I've had a Viofo A119 for a couple of years and it's a brilliant dashcam. Looking to upgrade to front and rear cameras, so may well give them a look.

[@driving_all_over]

Great video Ash especially the part about breaking down in the middle of a conventional motorway. I know I've commented this on a couple of your videos before as well but it's worth reminding people that even conventional motorways lack hard shoulders in long sections, the M90 north of Kelty is a good example of this. As for smart motorways yes they do have their flaws (signs going wrong etc) but they're really just like very wide dual carriageway A roads with technology. I feel much more comfortable on one of them than on a road like the A42. Also, next time you head down that way take a detour along the Aston Expressway into Birmingham. A very quirky bit of road but it always surprises me that the people who say about how dangerous smart motorways are never say anything about that one.

[@fetchstixRHD]

Is that the one that doesn’t have a central reservation? I guess part of the silence on that one would be because it’s out of the way of most people, has existed for a while and there isn’t a plan to introduce the same layout elsewhere?

[@stevekenilworth]

but smart motorways all lanes are in use, old style if cars need to avoid a crash lane one could move to shoulder as an escape, so if some changes lane 2 to 1 and push you over at least you have a lane not in use so you avoid a crash, and by that time the traffic behind should see the madness of the traffic spiting and slow. reason i will not use smart motorways is the one around Birmingham on a bridge most of it and at the limit you still get trucks few ft from your rear bumper. if trucks had a slower limit for all speed reductions it make a world difference and more safe, when its 70 limit trucks can do 60 means you can get past them and out of the danger area much faster, when they all doing the same ish you are always speeding up or slowing to get out of the blind spot of a truck what causes issues behind.

[@kenbrown2808]

for that matter, think of how many of your regular roads don't have a wide enough hard shoulder for a breakdown.

[@TheodorBrb]

Unfortunately the rollout of new ALR smart motorways will be paused until a full 5 years' worth of safety data becomes available for schemes introduced before 2020

[@maxbacon4828]

For "Safety data becomes available" read see how many people are killed!.

[@jondafy]

I’ve had many dashcams and now I’ve stopped to Viofo V129 Duo which is great dashcam for the money. Never had a problem with this one. I have had few Garmin&Nextbase, they tend to overheat during summer and problems with saving videos on SD card. These are the common problems with them. Not even a problem with Viofo whatsoever.

[@OwainGaming]

I never really drive on a motorway, never mind a smart motorway, look at Wales whole to see my road condition. 👍There is only 1 motorway in Wales, the believe so, which is only in the south east.

[@pdtech4524]

I know one thing, the thought of breaking down or having to change a tyre in a live lane of a smart motorway frightens the life out of me!😲⚠️ I'll only use them if there is no other route.....

[@cactusbase3088]

I think a flat tyre would be a case of continuing to drive as quick as feasibily possible to a refuge area so at least the car and occupants are not in a live lane.

[@pdtech4524]

@@cactusbase3088 Only once had a puncture/blow out on a motorway in a Ford Granada many years ago, one of the front tyres blew out, instantly on the wheel rim, loss of control and power, continuing on was not an option, I was literally 100m from my exit for home, I couldn't even drive it that far safely! Luckily there was a hard shoulder to pull into, I dread to think of that scenario on a smart motorway! Even on the hard shoulder I had to change my wheel with my back inches from a live lane in fading light, thankfully a thoughtful taxi driver stopped for a while to park up behind, create a safer area and used his lights to help me. Those refuge areas are few and far between.....I'd sooner have a regular hard shoulder! In the event of an emergency and there is a multi vehicle crash which blocks the whole width of the carriageway, how are emergency and recovery vehicles meant to get through solid lanes of gridlocked traffic, if there is no hard shoulder?

[@ArminGrewe]

From my (admitted probably comparably limited) experience with smart motorways it seems the lane hoggers have moved from lane 2 on a 3 lane motorway to lane 3 on a 4 lane motorway, And quite often lane 1 is almost empty, almost like a hard shoulder. Oh, and the warning signs warn of all kinds of things which then don't materialise. Or in other words, hardly anything seems to have changed.

[@alanharvey9720]

I wondered when the ad's were gonna appear!

[@XHR689]

I find the plugging of products on these videos most annoying.

[@alanharvey9720]

@@XHR689 Me too! But better still look at the following content!

[@robertmaitland09]

It's worth bearing in mind that there are many national speed limit dual carraigeways with no hard shoulders around the country and have been for years yet they have not been viewed upon as controversial or dangerous.

[@josephmarsh8235]

Motorways are different to Duel carriageways, and have more speeding dangerous drivers. In fact, near me in the east of England, there's an accident on the A14 every day!

[@radishpea6615]

full marks to Mrs Neal for being in the video, brave.

[@mikehunter2844]

Ashley, this question is for your other half. If your in lane 3 doing 65 to 70mph and lanes 2 and 4 start to move slower than you. Would you slow down to their speed and avoid passing or just keep up your speed?

[@midlam99]

I prefer the idea of breaking down in the outside lane, far away from the trucks.

[@Thomashorsman]

I’m 21 years old and I can remember smart motorways for as long as I can remember, I’m not sure why they’re only just becoming a big issue

[@paul756uk2]

That made me laugh. You're 21 and saying for as long as you can remember. Not very long then! They always have been an issue with many people since their inception, maybe just not in KZbin videos.

[@Thomashorsman]

@@paul756uk2 21 years is a long time to me 😆

[@paul756uk2]

@@Thomashorsman 😥it's not when you get to my age and yes it does go faster the older you get.

[@tinaheron5825]

As a wheelchair user smart motorways just make breaking down so much more dangerous. however some of the issues are the same with a hard shoulder. Like many disabled drivers i can not transfer to the passenger side of the car to exit and i can not lift my wheelchair over the barrier to a safe zone. A broken down wheelchair user on the side of any motorway is a huge distraction. basically there is NO safe provision.

[@damedusa5107]

Not that bad? They are being operated terribly. I drive 100s of miles a week. Everyday you get random sections that will suddenly be 50, next sign 60, back to 50 then back to National speed limit. All in the space of a 1/4 of a mile, for zero reason. Happens a lot and causes problems with people braking and accelerating again and breaking again. It’s negligent. It’s everyday I see this example

[@ashley_neal]

Does this effect your journey time or safety?

[@damedusa5107]

@@ashley_neal safety, it leads to people ahead and behind heavy braking, concertina effect. Don’t know if you come across it, but down the m6 is more frequent for the problem. I avoid the m1 because it’s a nightmare. M40 flows better and it’s not smart. Honestly I’m not exaggerating it’s very very frequent, they are either glitches or mistakes.

[@ashley_neal]

This concertina effect only happens when people travel too close at too high speed without forward planning. This is not a trait of Smart Motorways. As I say in the video it’s human action not the infrastructure.

[@damedusa5107]

@@ashley_neal but you ignoring the reason for it, as I explained, 3 or 4 overhead signs in a row with different speeds . You can’t blame drivers for that. It tends to happen just north of Stafford.

[@ashley_neal]

Those temporary restrictions are occasionally displayed incorrectly, however, many people don't understand how these restricted limits work. Just because you are slowed to a lower limit and you don't see the problem doesn't mean that wasn't a problem that's been allowed time to clear. This is often the proof that they are doing their job as designed, but the majority of the driving population don't understand. I hope you do now?

[@don1estelle]

Even after watching your Smart-Motorway Video I'm still not convinced they are as safe as a non-smart motorways!!! I still think Smart- Motorways are more Dangerous!!!!

[@Pureblood002]

Naa gimme a hard shoulder any day and I'd bet the families of those killed on these "smart" roads would agree

[@davidty2006]

Hmmm A retrofit to re add the hard shoulder would make them better.

[@computinggaming6854]

I would like to make a point that I was following an SUV on a smart motorway in lane 1 at 70mph. The SUV suddenly swerved into lane 2 last second to avoid hitting a broken down car. It was just blind luck that nobody was in lane 2 next to me otherwise I would've hit the broken down car. (That's with me leaving a 2 second gap, which nobody really does).

[@davidrumming4734]

Was thinking about a dashcam until I saw those prices.

[@IanMSpencer]

I live near the M42 and it does not work like Ashley's example. Two big problems, the part time running hard shoulder assumes people will not go into it without the lights going on, but too many ignorant drivers know it is a smart motorway and assume that any hand waving or flashing from drivers watching people driving on the closed hard shoulder don't understand. Still happening after what, more than 10 years? Secondly, they messed up the design, so some junctions don't have the 3-2-1 count downs for fear of confusion with the refuges. There is another feature that baffles people, and that is that at certain junctions the hard shoulder can be an optional running lane through the junction. The run in from J5 west can be either nearly no sliproad with limited vision or a double lane change of over 800 metres. It is unclear whether the M42 will remain a smart motorway as it is substandard but it is still operated when they can man it (so it can be jammed with only 3 lane running or 4 lanes and no traffic running at 60mph).

[@stephen579]

Can someone please tell me, what happens if a vehicle brakes down or has a puncture, where are you supposed to stop?

[@coffeeholic8]

Ashley covers that in the video, it’s one of the questions he asked Liz.

[@stephen579]

@@coffeeholic8 I should have watched the whole video, I can see the advantage of using the extra lane and modern cars are more reliable than older models.

[@jamesvdv0]

The big problem with these "smart motorways" is that if you get into trouble, say a puncture/blowout and you are in say lane 3 or 4, you are advised to immediately move into lane 1 and try to reach a refuge of unknown distance (should you not be contantly tracking their location, an unrealistic expectation). You have now moved into the probably busiest lane with the heaviest, most difficult to stop vehicles (lorries) running in it. If you don't reach and safely enter the next very small refuge area, then good luck 🤔

[@steveskipper6473]

Another tip is If you break down don't take the keys out of the ignition.

[@allothernamesbutthis]

what if your doors are set to lock after a few seconds? better to take the keys i think.

[@ArminGrewe]

What ignition? In plenty modern cars there is no ignition to put the key into in the first place.