大象传媒

The installation of 50 new emergency areas on smart motorways "won't make roads safer", campaigners say.

Ana Borges, whose car was hit by a lorry when it broke down on the M1, said the only way to ensure drivers are safe on motorways is to reintroduce hard shoulders. Mrs Borges, from Kegworth, Leicestershire, suffered spinal injuries, five broken ribs and a broken chest bone in a crash near junction 24A in Nottinghamshire in April 2023.

Months of roadworks to install new refuges on smart motorways through the Midlands began on Tuesday. The new emergency bays are being installed along the M1 in Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire and the M5 in Worcestershire.

National Highways said the work will make smart motorways safer. The installations are to address safety concerns on smart motorway sections, where overhead gantries are used to control lanes and speed limits rather than have a permanent hard shoulder.

Ana Borges told 大象传媒 Leicester's Ben Jackson why she feels the new refuges won't improve safety for drivers.

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