A Coroner is calling for better public understanding of safety on smart motorways, as a report has been published into the death of a woman on the M1.
A Prevention of Future Deaths Report looked at the death of 62 year old Nargis Begum who was in a car which broke down on the M1 on 9 September 2018.
It found 153 vehicles drove past mother-of-five before a Mercedes smashed into the back of her Nissan Qashqai in South Yorkshire. Mrs Begum was waiting in live traffic on the road with no hard shoulder for more than 15 minutes before the fatal collision.
Senior Coroner Nicola Mundy’s report noted three areas of concern:
(1) The lack of public understanding regarding the need for them to call National Highways should they identify a problem on the motorway network such as a stationary vehicle.
(2) Despite television, radio and social media campaigns regarding smart motorways, the lack of emphasis on the importance of road users responsibility to alert the authorities to any such problems.
(3) Despite public information referred to during the course of the evidence, the above message does not appear to have been a priority and does not appear to have effectively reached the public.
(File picture – ORR)
