Car involved in crash near Sheffield had broken down on M1 smart motorway, police say

Shortly before 4.45pm on Friday, emergency services received reports of a crash on the northbound carriageway of the motorway between junctions 30, for Balborough, and 31, for Aston.

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A man was airlifted to hospital but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

The section is a smart motorway and does not have a hard shoulder.

Last year, the Government confirmed 38 people had been killed on smart motorways between 2014 and 2019.

The road was closed in both directions as Yorkshire Air Ambulance landed, with police and firefighters also at the scene.

A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said officers had been called at 4.43pm to reports of a collision involving a car and a lorry.

The Star asked the police spokeswoman if the crash may have been as a result of the smart motorway.

She said: “We can say that the car had broken down in the first lane of the motorway.

“We wouldn’t comment any further at the moment.”

South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has called again for a rethink over smart motorways before any more lives are lost.

Dr Alan Billings spoke out after a coroner asked the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider whether corporate manslaughter charges should be brought against Highways England.

Senior coroner Nicola Munday raised concerns over how cameras are monitored after hearing how Sheffield grandmother Nargis Begum had exited a broken-down car on the M1 near Woodall services and been killed when another vehicle crashed into the stationary car in 2018.

Last month, Sheffield coroner David Urpeth concluded that the lack of a hard shoulder had contributed to the deaths of Jason Mercer, 44, and Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, on the M1 near Sheffield in 2019.

Following that inquest, Dr Billings wrote to transport secretary Grant Shapps calling for smart motorways to be scrapped.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said Mr Shapps has committed £500million to smart motorway safety improvements, adding that the safety and peace of mind of motorists remains a priority.

She said Highways England would fully co-operate with any potential CPS investigation.

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