- Drivers face £100 fine and points on their licence if they break key rule
Drivers risk a £100 fine and three points on their licence if they fail to follow a common rule every time they drive on a motorway.
An investigation by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart found the incident happened more than 53,000 times since 2021.
Motorists can be fined if they ignore red X signs or enter a closed lane while using a smart motorway.
National highways illuminate lane closed signs when stopped vehicles are detected in active lanes to prevent accidents and protect emergency services.
The move follows a law change, which came into effect in September 2022, allowing police to use speed cameras to pursue motorists who disobey signs.
If you are caught committing this offence, you could receive three penalty points, other more severe sanctions and even be summoned to court.
Figures obtained by IAM RoadSmart following freedom of information requests to police forces revealed that 4,393 incidents were recorded in 2021, rising to 20,773 in 2022 and 28,231 in 2023.
Nicholas Lyes, IAM RoadSmart’s Director of Policy and Standards, said: “Ignoring a red X sign on a smart motorway is dangerous as it risks causing a serious collision and for this reason we applaud the police forces who are cracking down on those who break the law.
“The majority of drivers have serious reservations about the safety of smart motorways where the hard shoulder has been removed, and these figures are unlikely to convince them that they are safe.
“We know that no new multi-lane smart motorways will be built, but the question arises as to what we will do with the existing sections that are in service.
“This is something the new government needs to think about seriously.”
Smart motorways without hard shoulder were created to increase capacity without the added cost of building wider roads.
A National Highways spokesperson said: “A red X signal is there to increase the safety of everyone using the road by highlighting a problem ahead.
“Over 90% of drivers obey red X signals, but ignoring these signals is an offence and puts themselves and others at risk.”
In April 2023, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled all planned future smart motorway projects, citing long-standing safety concerns following multiple fatal incidents in which vehicles stopped on lanes without hard shoulders were rear-ended.
Campaigners said at least 79 deaths have been linked to smart motorways, while government figures show 38 deaths were recorded between 2015 and 2019.
Pressure has long been mounting on the government to scrap the routes, which have been criticised by MPs and road safety campaigners including the RAC and the AA.
Campaigner Claire Mercer, whose husband was killed on a South Yorkshire motorway, welcomed the government’s decision.
Ms Mercer said: “It’s fantastic, it’s very good news. I’m particularly pleased that it’s been confirmed that the lines that were being planned have also been cancelled. I didn’t think they would do that.”
“So that’s good news, but obviously it’s the existing areas that are killing us. And I’m not going to settle for new emergency refuge areas.
“So that’s half the battle, but we still have half the battle to fight.”
