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A Guide To Driving On a Smart Motorway

A Guide To Driving On a Smart Motorway

Everything you need to know to stay safe on a smart motorway

Discover the differences between controlled, hard shoulder running and all lane running motorways

Smart motorways are becoming prevalent but many drivers will remember when Britain’s first stretch of motorway opened its lanes to traffic, in 1958.
It was a section of the M6, in Lancashire, and the following year saw drivers experience the first complete motorway, the M1.

Image: M6 Lancaster By-pass opening day (2) 1960. Copyright Jim Barton. Creative Commons.

Watch any period footage and you’ll see how little traffic there was 60 years ago.
Today, our motorways are as good as unrecognisable for the sheer volume of traffic they carry, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

M1 Motorway at Watford Gap, 1961. Copyright Ben Brooksbank Creative Commons

In the late 50s, 25% of UK households owned a car.

By 2016, the car had become more accessible and widespread, with ownership levels at more than 75%.

Such a boom has placed a strain on our motorway network.

To help manage the flow of traffic, inform drivers of conditions ahead and keep the nation’s main arterial roads as fluid as possible, technology is now used that makes them much more than just three or four strips of asphalt.

Highways England calls these roads ‘smart motorways’.

Huge numbers of motorists use them, but do not all fully understand how they work. With information signs, variable speed limits and changes to the number of lanes running, it pays to know how to use them and stay safe in the event of an emergency.

Follow our guide to smart motorways, take the chance to brush up on Honda's latest Sensing technology which is designed to help drivers stay safe, and travel safely.

What is a smart motorway?

A smart motorway is a motorway which is actively managed by authorities to control the flow of traffic, increase capacity and reduce congestion.

Authorities closely monitor the volume of traffic for accidents and traffic hot spots, and adjust speed limits and the number of lanes in use accordingly to keep Britain’s drivers moving.

Who is responsible for them?

Highways England, the South Wales Trunk Road Agent, Transport NI (Northern Ireland) and Transport Scotland are responsible for the construction and maintenance of smart motorways in the UK.
For a complete list of smart motorways, see this page on Wikipedia.

When did the first smart motorway start operating?

The first example of a smart motorway in the UK was the M42 motorway, in the West Midlands, which entered operation in 2006, complete with hard shoulder running.

What are the different types of smart motorway?

There are three different types of smart motorway. The most common is the controlled motorway. The other two types are known as dynamic hard shoulder and all lane running.

Image: Nilfanion and Dr Greg. © OpenStreetMap contributors. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2010.

How do smart motorways work?

Controlled motorway

Hard shoulder running

All lane running

Controlled motorway

The most common smart motorway is the controlled motorway. It uses variable speed limits, displayed by signs mounted on overhead gantries, to manage the flow of traffic.

The speed is set by monitoring actual traffic flow and using algorithms to determine when a lower limit should be introduced, to prevent the build up of dense traffic.

These speed limits must be adhered to by law, and in places they are enforced by speed cameras that monitor the average speed of vehicles.

In April 2018, Highways England said it was reviewing the algorithms, after there was a tenfold increase in the number of drivers fined by average speed cameras when driving below 70mph.

Controlled motorways tend to have a dedicated hard shoulder. Drivers will know this type from sections of the M25, M1, M40 and M60, among others.

Hard shoulder running

As the names suggests, the main difference between a controlled motorway and a hard shoulder running is that during peak times the hard shoulder is opened to traffic. This creates additional capacity. The overhead gantry signs notify drivers whether the hard shoulder is open to traffic or closed.

All lane running

On these sections of smart motorway all lanes are open to traffic and there is no hard shoulder. Instead, every 1.5 miles there is an emergency refuge area, which allows vehicles to pull off the carriageway and call for assistance.

Technology keeping drivers safe

Modern cars, such as the new Honda Civic, feature technology that helps keep drivers and their passengers safe on motorways and other types of road.

Honda SENSING uses camera and radar systems to read road signs, speed limits and scan the road ahead. With Adaptive Cruise Control and Traffic Sign Recognition, it can help drivers stick to any set speed limit on a smart motorway.

It can also warn of, or even avoid a hazard, and steer the car back into its lane should it detect that it’s wandering without the driver’s full attention.

Highways England’s tips for driving on a smart motorway

NEVER drive in a lane closed by a red “X”
Keep to the speed limit shown on the gantries
A solid white line indicates the hard shoulder - don’t drive in it unless directed.
A broken white line indicates a normal running lane
If your vehicle experiences difficulties, e.g. warning light, exit the smart motorway immediately if possible
Use the refuge areas for emergencies if there’s no hard shoulder
Put your hazard lights on if you break down

What to do if your car breaks down on a smart motorway

Should a vehicle breakdown on a controlled motorway, you can stop on the hard shoulder as normal, exit the car on the left side and notify the authorities, using the emergency telephones.

However, on smart motorway where the hard shoulder is running, if your car develops a problem Highways England advises that you attempt to leave the motorway at the next available exit.

If that is not possible, then switch on your car’s hazard warning lights and slow as gradually as possible, giving surrounding traffic time to react to the situation. Motorway operators should change the status of the hard shoulder to closed, and post warnings to traffic of a stranded vehicle.

Exit the vehicle from the left side and notify the authorities, using the emergency telephones. On a smart motorway with all lane running, try to stop in one of the emergency refuge areas. These are no more than 1.5 miles apart. Exit the vehicle from the left side and notify the authorities, using the emergency telephones in the refuge area. In all cases, the regional control centre will dispatch a traffic officer to help you.

Never ignore red X signs

Highways England says one of the most important signs on a smart motorway is the red X. These are used to close lanes to traffic and help prevent collisions. They appear on the overhead gantries, with one per lane of the smart motorway.

When the red X is illuminated, drivers MUST move out of the lane promptly and stay out of the lane until there is a clear indication that it is reopened. Failing to do will incur a £100 fine and three penalty points on your license.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, told The Telegraph

Too many drivers who wouldn’t think of running a red traffic light still seem to treat the Red X as an advisory rather than a mandatory signal, used to protect their safety.

What are the penalties for not following rules on smart motorways?

Currently, drivers who break any speed limit set on a smart motorway and are caught doing so will be issued with penalty points on their licence and a fine.

Driving in a lane that is closed – marked with a red X – is punishable but is manually enforced. However, rumours suggest camera enforcement could be applied, and penalties would be issued to repeat offenders.

Have smart motorways reduced accident rates?

There have been many high-profile accidents involving collisions on smart motorways with all lane running. And public sentiment towards them is often negative.

However, Highways England says the first smart motorway scheme opened to traffic on the M42 motorway in 2006.

Analysis of data gathered since opening has found that:

Journey reliability

Improved by 22%
Personal injury accidents

Reduced by more than half
Where accidents did occur

Severity was much lower overall with zero fatalities and fewer seriously injured