Are smart motorways safer?

With recent reports claiming smart motorways do not offer value for money and research from The AA finding anxiety in drivers using them has risen by a quarter in almost half a year, we thought we’d take a look at what smart motorways are, why they’ve been brought in and just how dangerous they can be.

• A 2026 survey by The AA found 46% of drivers now feel nervous driving on a motorway with no hard shoulder, compared to just 23% in 2025.

What is a smart motorway?

Auto Express confirms that smart motorways were first introduced in 2006 (the term ‘smart motorway’ wasn’t used until 2013) as a cost-effective and technologically advanced solution to increasing road capacity via variable speed limits, hard shoulder driving during times of congestion and emergency refuge areas.

Smart motorways use CCTV, radar and sensors to manage the traffic, and can implement speed restrictions and lane closures quickly and easily if there is an incident or congestion.

There are three different types of smart motorway:

• Controlled - A variable speed limit road with a permanent hard shoulder.
• Dynamic - A gantry-controlled hard shoulder that is only open during times of congestion.
• All lane running - A motorway with no hard shoulder and emergency refuge areas instead.

How safe are smart motorways?

While National Highways (the organisation that operates and maintains the smart motorway network) claims ‘The latest safety data for smart motorways (2018-2022) continues to show that overall, all three types of smart motorway are safer than conventional motorways in terms of deaths or serious injuries’, these roads have long been deemed controversial.

So much so that in April 2023, the UK government cancelled all new smart motorway projects, citing safety issues and a lack of confidence from drivers when it comes to using them.

However, the stats in the 2024 Road Safety Performance Overview (published in March, 2026) show that smart motorways are amongst the safest roads with 1.29 KSIs (accidents where people were killed or seriously injured) per hundred million vehicle miles compared to 3.22 for A-roads.

Despite this, The AA states: ‘Between 2010 and 2024, at least 79 people were killed on ‘smart’ motorways. Analysis has also shown that drivers who break down on a motorway without a hard shoulder are around three times more likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with those on roads where a hard shoulder is permanently available.’

There was also a 2025 report that found drivers are four times more likely to break down on a smart motorway than a conventional one. National Highways response was that due to the technology involved on these roads, more breakdowns can be identified - with two of the top three caused by tyre issues or a lack of petrol.

What should you do if you break down on a smart motorway?

1. Switch on your hazard lights and go left. Try to get yourself into lane one.
2. Attempt to reach one of the orange smart motorway emergency areas and stop. These are located every 0.75 to 1.5 miles along the road.
3. If you’ve broken down in a live lane, try to get as far to the left as possible. You must only exit the vehicle if it is safe to do so and then wait behind the safety barrier.
4. If it is not safe to exit, ensure your hazard lights and seat belt are on and call the police on 999. The smart motorway’s stationary vehicle detection (SVD) technology should alert National Highways to close the lane asap and the gantry signs behind you will start to display the red X to indicate this.

What do the signs on a smart motorway mean?

• A red X - This indicates a lane is closed and must not be used. It is illegal to ignore this sign. If you’re caught driving in a closed smart motorway lane, you could receive a £100 fine and three penalty points. This, in addition to putting both yourself and other road users at risk.
• A speed limit displayed in a red circle - This is the maximum, legally enforceable speed you can drive at on this section of the road.
• Amber flashing lights - Prepare to slow down as there may be a closed lane or broken-down vehicle ahead.
• Hard shoulder open - You can use the hard shoulder as a live lane.

Do speed cameras flash on smart motorways?

The RAC claims ‘Smart motorway cameras do not use a visible flash. A unit next to the cameras gives an infra-red flash that allows the camera to operate at night and in low light conditions.’

These cameras are used to capture images of vehicles driving above the variable speed limit. It’s just as illegal to drive above a variable speed limit on a smart motorway as it is anywhere else, with potential penalties including:

• £100 fine.
• 3 penalty points.
• Disqualification from driving if you build up 12 or more points.

Where are the UK’s smart motorways?

Although work on new smart motorways have been paused indefinitely, there are still many in operation today. Driving on a smart motorway is similar to a regular motorway - you still have to follow the rules of the Highway Code.

Motorways with All Lane Running (ALR)

• M1 Junction 13 to 16
• M1 Junction 16 to 19
• M1 Junction 24 to 25
• M1 Junction 28 to 31
• M1 Junction 32 to 35a
• M1 Junction 39 to 42
• M3 Junction 2 to 4a
• M4 Junction 3 to 12
• M5 Junction 4a to 6
• M6 Junction 2 to 4
• M6 Junction 11a to 13
• M6 Junction 13 to 15
• M6 Junction 16 to 19
• M6 Junction 21a to 26
• M20 Junction 3 to 5
• M23 Junction 8 to 10
• M25 Junction 5 to 7
• M25 Junction 23 to 27
• M27 Junction 4 to 11
• M56 Junction 6 to 8
• M62 Junction 10 to 12
• M62 Junction 18 to 20

Dynamic Hard Shoulder (DHS) motorways

• M1 Junction 10 to 13
• M4 to M5 interchange
• M6 Junction 4 to 5
• M6 Junction 5 to 8
• M6 Junction 8 to 10a
• M42 Junction 3a to 7
• M62 Junction 25 to 30

Controlled Motorways (CM)

• M1 Junction 6a to 10
• M1 Junction 23a to 24
• M1 Junction 25 to 28
• M1 Junction 31 to 32
• M6 Junction 10a to 11a
• M20 Junction 5 to 7
• M25 Junction 2 to 3
• M25 Junction 7 to 10
• M25 Junction 10 to 16
• M25 Junction 16 to 23
• M25 Junction 27 to 30
• M42 Junction 7 to 9
• M60 Junction 8 to 18

What does the future hold for smart motorways?

While smart motorways continue to be contentious, with drivers and agencies alike (Edmund King, AA president, said: ‘We need the return of the hard shoulder to help give confidence to drivers, both now and in the future’ following the company’s analysis of smart motorway reports 2026), it’s important to note they’re still here, with the government investing £900 million in safety improvements.

If you’re nervous about driving on a smart motorway, you could let someone else take the wheel with temporary car insurance. Comprehensive as standard, and available from just 1 hour up to 28 days, it’s the smart option.

Sources

https://nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/driving-on-motorways/

https://www.driving.org/smart-motorway-breakdown-risk-four-times-higher-than-conventional-roads/

https://www.driving.org/smart-motorway-safety-failures-exposed-in-new-report/

https://www.driving.org/smart-motorway-breakdown-risk-four-times-higher-than-conventional-roads/

https://www.driving.org/drivers-avoiding-smart-motorways-amid-rising-concerns-and-100-fines/

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driving-advice/smart-motorways/

https://www.rospa.com/siteassets/images/road-safety/road-safety-information/driver-safety/smart-motorways/smart-motorways-factsheet-revised-0224_3.pdf

https://transportactionnetwork.org.uk/demand-for-transparency-on-smart-motorways/

https://www.rightfuelcard.co.uk/news/what-are-smart-motorways

https://www.brake.org.uk/files/downloads/Reports/Direct-Line-Safe-Driving/Motorways-Green-Flag-Safe-Driving-Report-2020.pdf

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp87827jyk3o

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/tips-advice/99537/what-smart-motorway-speed-cameras-safety-concerns-and-hard-shoulder-use-explained

https://www.theaa.com/about-us/newsroom/smart-motorways-2026

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/06/smart-motorways-poor-value-report-aa

https://www.iamroadsmart.com/hints-and-tips/video-what-should-i-do-if-i-breakdown-on-a-smart-motorway/