Four people die on 'smart motorways': Deadly record of carriageways without a hard shoulder is exposed as legal action puts their future in doubt
- Four people have been killed on the M1 in just 10 months on same patch of road
- Spate of deaths in year have raised concerns about safety of smart motorway
- Widow Claire Mercer is suing Highways England over death of husband Jason
Plans to roll out smart motorways across the country were dealt a fresh blow last night after a widow announced she plans to sue Highways England for corporate manslaughter.
A spate of deaths in the last year have raised concerns about the safety of the road - which use technologies and strategies to reduce congestion and increase capacity.
These methods include using the hard shoulder as a running lane and using to control the flow of traffic.
In June, Jason Mercer, 44, was killed when a lorry ploughed into him after he pulled over to exchange contact details with another driver
He had stopped to exchange details with Alexandru Murgeanu (pictured), 22, who was also mown down and killed
Four people have been killed on the M1 in just 10 months after being hit by traffic in a live lane that used to be the hard shoulder, The Sunday Telegraph reports.
In each case, the victim died after failing to reach a safe lay-by - also known as an emergency refuge area - on the same 16-mile stretch of the motorway, according to the paper.
In June, Jason Mercer, 44, and Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, were killed when a lorry ploughed into them after they pulled over to exchange contact details.
Mr Mercer's widow, Claire, claims Highways England is responsible as it failed to provide her husband with a safe zone.
Smart motorways use technologies and strategies to reduce congestion and increase capacity. These methods include using the hard shoulder as a running lane and using to control the flow of traffic (file image)
She also accused the government-run company of not having adequate technology to detect a stationary vehicle and divert fast traffic.
Mrs Mercer's legal action comes after a report revealed drivers were three times more likely to break down in a live lane which used to be a hard shoulder.
The report also revealed that it took on average 20 minutes to spot broken down vehicles before shutting the lane.
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