The fear of suffering a blowout is a very real and very worrying aspect of driving any vehicle, but there are particular times when the dangers are heightened. One such instance is when you’re driving on a new smart motorway. But what are smart motorways, and why are they so dangerous to have a tyre-related breakdown on?

What are smart motorways?

Smart motorways are the newest motorway design to hit British shores. They use technology to actively manage the flow of traffic by monitoring it and adjusting speed limits and signs accordingly.

A crucial element of smart motorways, and the thing we’re most concerned about, is the fact that smart motorways can increase the capacity of the road when needed by either temporarily or permanently opening the hard shoulder to traffic. In doing so, the motorway enjoys increased capacity and limited congestion.

Why are smart motorways dangerous?

Currently, there are plans to convert around 300 miles of hard shoulder to increase the capacity of our motorways, but the RAC has raised concerns about whether it is safe to do so. In fact, the RAC claims that the move will ‘place the lives of millions of motorists at risk’.

This is because the conversion of the hard shoulder into an active lane will force motorists to either reach and pull up in dedicated refuge areas – emergency lay-bys that sit one and a half miles apart along the motorway – or to pull up in an active lane, endangering all road users in the process until the traffic control centre can divert traffic away from the hard shoulder.

If your vehicle breaks down on a smart motorway, you run the risk of blocking traffic, becoming trapped in your vehicle, or worse. Motorways are dangerous enough as it is with a hard shoulder in place.

What’s more, most people agree that the refuge areas are far too far apart for comfort – three times farther apart than they consider safe. Similarly, the RAC found that over half of all drivers don’t know what to do if they break down on smart motorways.

How to stay safe if your vehicle breaks down

If you have a blowout on a smart motorway, or any other difficulty, the important thing to do is don’t panic. You should remain calm, turn on your hazard lights and try to exit the smart motorway immediately. But if this isn’t possible you should move into the nearest place of relative safety.

An emergency refuge area is the safest place for you to reach if you cannot exit the smart motorway. These are marked by blue signs with an orange SOS telephone symbol. If it is safe to do so, you should leave your vehicle via the nearside (passenger/left-hand) door and contact Highways England using the roadside telephone. Traffic officers can then be diverted to your location to provide assistance, or they can clear the nearest lane to you by changing the signals.

If you can’t reach an emergency refuge area, you should move to the hard shoulder if there is one, or as close to the nearside verge or other boundary as possible. If you can do so safely, you should consider exiting the vehicle by the passenger-side door and waiting for assistance behind the safety barrier.

If it isn’t safe to exit your vehicle, or you can’t reach the nearside lane/hard shoulder, remain in your vehicle, call 999 and await assistance.

Common reasons for tyre-related breakdowns

The best way to avoid the trials and tribulations of a smart motorway breakdown is to maintain your vehicle properly. After all, punctures alone are not the sole cause of tyre-related breakdowns.

– Namely, you should keep an eye on:

– The wear on your tyres

– The tread depth, making sure it doesn’t fall below 1.6mm

– The tyre pressure

Wear should be spread evenly across the face of your tyres – if it isn’t, your wheels may not be aligned properly. The 20p coin test can show you whether or not your tyre tread depth has fallen below acceptable levels. Meanwhile, you should consult your vehicle’s manual to ensure your tyre pressure is at appropriate levels.

Universal Tyres offer competitive tyre maintenance services

Breaking down on a smart motorway is a worrying prospect for anyone, but with proper maintenance of your vehicle you can easily avoid it. Universal Tyres offer a range of tyre services to help keep your tyres in optimal condition, all at competitive prices.

We have garages throughout South East England, over 90 years of experience and Michelin Certified Centre accreditation. As such, we’re perfectly placed to provide tyre maintenance and advice for your vehicle’s tyres. Contact us today to find out more.