Research reveals fears of driving on hard shoulders
Research reported in the Telegraph this week revealed that many of those interviewed feared that car accidents may be more likely or made worse by government plans to extend the use of hard shoulder driving on UK motorways.
The reported fears included the thought that emergency services may not be able to reach a destination, whether this was a car crash on the motorway itself or a call that required them to use the motorway.
It was also pointed out that driving on hard shoulders would mean that there was nowhere to pull over to in an emergency, raising the possibility that a stopped car could go on to cause a road traffic accident.
A spokesman for the research firm said, "Anything that causes anxiety among motorists adds risk on the roads. It can affect concentration levels and lead to accidents. Therefore, these safety concerns of HSR [hard shoulder running] among drivers really need to be addressed before any nationwide roll-out."
Of people asked, 27 per cent were sufficiently worried about the increased risk of car accidents that they would consider alternative, longer routes to avoid a motorway with no hard shoulder.
*Where replacement vehicle costs can be recovered from the insurance company of the person who caused the accident.
Where this person is untraceable or uninsured, or where there is a dispute over liability, a replacement vehicle cannot
be provided.
