AA concern as breakdowns treble on 'smart' motorways

VEHICLE breakdowns were nearly three times higher on redesigned motorways using smart tech.

- By Matt Clemenson

National Highways said 56% of mechanical failures logged last year happened where the hard shoulder was converted to a live lane. That is despite such roads only making up 20% of the total motorway network.

The 141,149 smart motorway breakdowns recorded in 2024 amounted to 387 per day.

Confidence

The AA said the statistics, released after a Freedom of Information request, were “a major concern”.

National Highways said smart motorways’ tech meant breakdowns were more likely to be detected.

The redesigned roads were seen as a low-cost way to increase capacity.

However, there have been fatal incidents after vehicles forced to stop in live lanes were hit from behind.