MP calls for smart motorways to be banned as coroner warns of future deaths after tragedy near Sheffield

Coroner David Urpeth said smart motorways ‘present an ongoing risk of future deaths’ at an inquest into the deaths of two motorists killed in a collision on the M1 near Meadowhall where there is no hard shoulder.

He ruled that the primary cause of the deaths of Jason Mercer, aged 44, from Rotherham and Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, from Mansfield, in 2019, was the careless driving of lorry driver Prezemyslaw Szuba, who ploughed into their vehicles as they exchanged details in lane one following a minor shunt.

But, recording a conclusion of unlawful killing, Mr Urpeth said: “I find, as a finding of fact, it is clear a lack of hard shoulder contributed to this tragedy.”

The coroner said he will be writing to Highways England and Secretary of State for Transport recommending a review of smart motorways.

He told an inquest at Sheffield town hall: “I believe that smart motorways, as things currently stand, present an ongoing risk of future deaths.”

Rotherham MP Sarah Champion said: “Since Mr Mercer’s death, I have campaigned extensively in Parliament alongside his widow, Claire, to draw attention to the huge risks these roads present to motorists.

“In response, the Government launched a review of smart motorway safety that pledged a number of measures to improve safety.

“Yet, nearly a year on from the publication of their report, little meaningful investment has taken place. Most alarmingly, no new emergency refuges have been commissioned in South Yorkshire, despite the Government’s acknowledgement that they are spaced too far apart.

“Their failure to act so far, despite being all too aware of the risks these roads present, is nothing less than dereliction of duty.

“I firmly believe all smart motorways should revert immediately to traditional operation, unless and until the inherent safety flaws can be completely overcome. To do otherwise would be to continue to gamble the lives of motorists in the name of increasing capacity on the cheap.

“I will continue to do everything I can to force the Government to act to prevent further lives being lost.”