Nick Ferrari: Why smart motorways need to be scrapped as soon as possible

26 February 2020, 09:04

Nick Ferrari labelled the introduction of smart motorways a "scandal" and urged the government to scrap them as quickly as possible.

The government have rolled out smart motorways, in which drivers can drive in the hard shoulder during busy times to ease congestion.

But it was recently revealed that 38 people have been killed on smart motorways in the last five years, renewing concerns about their safety.

Nick said: "Every day, more lives are put at risk by this ludicrous and clearly unsafe policy.

"The All-Party Parliamentary Group looked at the 400-miles of motorway that has this system in place. It's meant to have technology that detects when someone has stopped on the 'hard shoulder' and close the lane to other traffic.

"Of the 400 miles, that system is in place on only 25 miles. That is an utter, utter scandal."

He then spoke to Meera Naran, the mother of Dev Naran, an 8-year-old boy who was killed on a smart motorway in May 2018 and she revealed how the road led to his death.

She said: "It's scary, it really is. They're really not safe at all. There's something that's really not right.

"I get lots of messages of how people have been stranded and what they have to do to get their family out of the car in really difficult situations. My heart stops every single time. I really fear for these families.

"The effect on my family has been catastrophic - and it just continues. Dev's brother Neil has been affected the most. He's stopped talking and it's been really difficult as a family for us. It has changed him completely.

"We are just trying to survive."

Watch the clip at the top of the page.