Smart motorways - Go Left safety campaign

[MCYorks]

Anyone seen the new Highways 'Go Left' TV advert?

Catchy tune. The driver gets plenty of warning something is going wrong with a red light on the dash and there's a convenient emergency refuge area for him to pull into
I understand it's a safety campaign to make drivers aware of smart motorway emergency refuge areas and how to use them, etc. However, I'm not convinced real life scenarios work out quite so well. It would seem the problems arise when you 'Go left' and find neither a hard shoulder or an emergency refuge area If you can't proceed any further then you're likely to find yourself in a rather scary situation

Now we've had motorways since 1958, so one does have to wonder and ask the question? How many people wouldn't 'Go left' and try to exit the motorway or find a safe stopping point when they have vehicle problems?

[geoberni]

Have you not seen the video?

This only went viral in January this year, but apparently dates from 2018:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_hlZBowaVw

[sid]

as a hgv driver of many years..i wouldn't drive on a 'smart' motorway in a car with no hazard lights.if you do break down in a modern,you have a chance of sticking your hazards on hopefully giving notice to other road users you have a problem,before getting out the vehicle very quickly! i have seen several vehicles who haven't been able to get to a safe area..one was 2 weeks ago on the M6,a lorry,and the gantry warning lights hadn't been activated ...and the driver was frantically waving at vehicles to move lanes.

[Admin]

I've heard it on the radio over the last few days, and commented on how our wonderful governments answer to the lives lost on smart motorways is apparently to corrupt a tune that wasn't great before it was corrupted. For avoidance of doubt, I haven't deleted the thread about smart motorways here that's been popping up regularly over the last couple of years, but I have archived it while we do some board stuff - it will be back.

I have banned any of our family from using a smart motorway in any vehicle

[MCYorks]

Have you not seen the video?

Wow! No I hadn't seen that one! Initially I thought maybe his cam belt has gone or something. The hard shoulder was closed off for road works so nowhere really safe to stop. Puts the hazards on, even stops under a lamp standard so he can be seen. So far so good and then!!!

[MCYorks]

For avoidance of doubt, I haven't deleted the thread about smart motorways here that's been popping up regularly over the last couple of years, but I have archived it while we do some board stuff - it will be back.

I have banned any of our family from using a smart motorway in any vehicle

Good to hear the thread about smart motorways will be back at some point. Unfortunately I have to use them on a fairly regular basis and they still seem to be expanding. Highways are now 'improving' a 10-mile section of the M6 between junctions 21a and 26 by upgrading it to an 'All Lane Running'.
Fortunately I haven't broken down on an ALR motorway yet and hopefully never will. I broke down in the Morris, one dark rainy night many years ago and pulled onto the hard shoulder. I was able to fix the problem in 5 mins and continue with my journey. That section of motorway now 'All Lane Running' so I'd have no chance of doing that today.

[Matt]

I broke down on an area of the M25 which was semi smart (i.e. still had the hard shoulder, but also had lane control).

I was in traffic, doing about 20mph uphill in lane 3 of 4 and "tinkle, tinkle, pah" the engine cut out and the car stopped. Absolutely no chance to get over to the hard shoulder. (Turns out the water pump had seized, throwing the cambelt - but that's another story)

All was well until they closed lanes 3&4 on the gantries. With the lanes empty people were using them as a fast lane and doing high speeds - at least 3 cars missed mine by less than 6ft @ 50mph ish. Very scary stuff!

If the lanes hadn't been closed the traffic would have bunched up, the speeds would have been slower and the danger would have been significantly less - I doubt it would have taken anyone (especially those that abided by the closures) longer to get past...

Im sure the vast majority of vehicle failures would allow you to get to a refuge or off the motorway (probably with some mechanical abuse) but there will always be those where it can't be done, and people who will think a light on the dash means you have to stop immediately or the car will immediately burst in to flames...

[Admin]

For avoidance of doubt, I haven't deleted the thread about smart motorways here that's been popping up regularly over the last couple of years, but I have archived it while we do some board stuff - it will be back.

I have banned any of our family from using a smart motorway in any vehicle

Good to hear the thread about smart motorways will be back at some point. Unfortunately I have to use them on a fairly regular basis and they still seem to be expanding. Highways are now 'improving' a 10-mile section of the M6 between junctions 21a and 26 by upgrading it to an 'All Lane Running'.
Fortunately I haven't broken down on an ALR motorway yet and hopefully never will. I broke down in the Morris, one dark rainy night many years ago and pulled onto the hard shoulder. I was able to fix the problem in 5 mins and continue with my journey. That section of motorway now 'All Lane Running' so I'd have no chance of doing that today.

I had a phone call from another Minor owner one night who'd had her wipers fail on the M3 in the dark during a torrential thunderstorm in her standard Traveller and towing a trailer tent. I was only about ten miles behind her so soon caught her up on the shoulder and stopped behind her because my Traveller has much brigher lights and hazard lights too. Then her and her son, and me and my partner and our son, all stood in the heaving rain on the bank for two hours waiting for recovery because I wouldn't let anyone sit in the cars. We were all drenched to the skin, but alive

[MorrisJohn]

On the railways and in aviation people would rightly be charged with manslaughter if they prioritised cost over people’s lives.

Yet when it comes to “smart” motorways this is exactly what is being done and somehow it’s meant to be acceptable? There is nothing smart about that.

[Gareth]

I've had several 'failures to proceed' over the years and each time I've been thankful for the precence of a full hard shoulder to abandon the stricken vehicle.

The first was a flat tyre in Phyllis, and the second a sudden loss of power whilst in the third lane of the M5, which was exciting to say the least... Traffic mercifully parted sufficiently for me to coast to safety!

The rest have been in an assortment of well-maintained and outwardly "reliable" moderns. Each time requiring the assistance of the AA, as is best practice on a fast-flowing motorway. A deserted hard shoulder isn't safe to remain in the vehicle. A temporary hard shoulder converted by gantry signs from a running lane is suicide.

As the pilots of older, slower, vehicles of less safety-conscious times, I would argue that we are more likely to 'read the road' and drive to the conditions, whatever car we happen to be in. But you can't legislate for stupid, and Smart Motorways imply the road-users have an equal level of intelligence which is sadly not the case.

[Edward1949]

...... you can't legislate for stupid, and Smart Motorways imply the road-users have an equal level of intelligence which is sadly not the case.

Agreed.
Quote from Highway Code para 126 : "Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear".
If everyone obeyed this simple rule smart motorways would be fine.

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

I'm sure the families and friends of those killed and maimed on a 'smart' motorway will appreciate the comedy element of this light-hearted upbeat advert.

[Propshaft]

I wonder in the future how many cars will be on the " hard shoulder" due to loss of battery power

[ampwhu]

My answer is not to go on a motorway in any classic. Too much risk. In a modern car, easier.

I bet all those with the old poor system of points and condensor must be wary. It would increase your chances of being stranded

[les]

Yes, it does make you think. Incidentally I’m one of those with the ‘ old poor system of points and condenser’ funnily enough I’m quite happy with their reliability, I hear they’ve been around a long time !

[jagnut66]

Too much risk. In a modern car, easier.

And when the modern experiences an unexpected failure to proceed................

[geoberni]

My answer is not to go on a motorway in any classic. Too much risk. In a modern car, easier.

I bet all those with the old poor system of points and condensor must be wary. It would increase your chances of being stranded

I don't agree. I have an electronic unit which can suddenly fail without warning. However, in my past experience, Points tend to go gradually and give some indication beforehand. So the alert driver, used to such systems, should spot the warning signs.
The only 2 breakdowns I've had in my minor were eventually traced to the Coil, common to Points or Electronic systems.

[ManyMinors]

I have a very experience to Geoberni above. Over the last half century or so I have had no problems with my well maintained standard ignition system - unlike 2 owners I know well who have suffered complete breakdowns of their electronic systems and now reverted back to the original set up. As we've said before: each to their own.

[MCYorks]

I wonder in the future how many cars will be on the " hard shoulder" due to loss of battery power

I'm not sure about fully electric vehicles as I haven't driven one yet, unless you count moving the Minor on the starter motor . Who knows how much warning of impending failure you would get with an electric vehicle? Maybe a sudden battery or electrical fault could result in rapid loss of power even if the gauge was showing plenty of 'range' left.
I've certainly had several lead acid batteries fail open circuit without any warning. Started the car fine one minute and then completely dead the next.
Over the years I've seen numerous vehicles stopped on the hard shoulder at night, without any lights, and all were modern. Presumably they had serious electrical faults or maybe the battery had gone flat while waiting for assistance. Either way they were not easy to see on an unlit motorway, but all had obviously made it to the 'relative' safety of the hard shoulder.
Some sections of All Lane Running motorways are unlit, the M1 springs to mind. If a vehicle has total electrical failure in this situation, then without a hard shoulder it will most likely be stranded in a live lane, without lights and with traffic bearing down on it at 60 - 70 mph. At night how long would an approaching driver have to react once said stranded vehicle shows up in their dipped headlamps? Using some ball park figures: Typical dipped headlamp range 50 metres. 70 mph = 31 metres per second. So less than 2 seconds

[jagnut66]

It seems like the death toll will have to get into the hundreds before the people making the decisions about road policy realise that (so called) Smart Motorways are a bad idea.......
I wonder how many before they do something about it.....
Or will they just blame drivers in general as usual (and do nothing)...............
Best wishes,
Mike.

PS:

The only 2 breakdowns I've had in my minor were eventually traced to the Coil

C'mon Bernie, you should know that it's

never the coil