Lawyer representing widow of South Yorkshire man who died on M1 to ‘fully scrutinise’ smart motorways announcement

The government, on Tuesday, said that no more smart motorways without hard shoulders will be able to open without additional safety measures in place.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that for every hundred million miles driven, there were fewer deaths on all-lane motorways than conventional ones.

He also said Highways England would now accelerate the introduction of a number of safety measures set out last year.

Helen Smith, a specialist lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Claire Mercer, whose husband Jason Mercer tragically died on the motorway said: "The issues around smart motorways safety are well documented and the need for change is obvious.

"We will now fully scrutinise the detail of this announcement and whether these proposals go far enough or whether potential legal action is necessary.

"We're determined to support Claire in her campaign to improve safety on smart motorways."

Jason Mercer 47, died alongside Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, from Mansfield on June 7, 2019.

The pair had stopped to exchange details after a minor collision near junction 34 of the M1 near Meadowhall when they were hit by a lorry.

Claire, from Rotherham has since campaigned for the abolition of smart motorways and instructed lawyers from Irwin Mitchell to investigate the case.

The firm also represents the family of Mr Murgreanu and the family of Nargis Begum, who was killed in a separate collision on the M1 near Sheffield.

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