20 motorists a day are stranded in ‘live’ lanes after breaking down on smart motorways, shocking figures reveal

TWENTY motorists a day are stranded in “live” lanes after breaking down on smart motorways, shocking figures reveal.

And many have a terrifying half-hour wait for rescue as recovery crew response times are getting longer.

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The stats piled fresh pressure on Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to bring in extra safety measures until his review of the controversial roads is complete.

AA president Edmund King said: “Having to wait in purgatory on the road to hell, hoping you will be spotted and then rescued, is every driver’s worst nightmare.

The Transport Secretary has a great opportunity to stop this becoming an election issue by agreeing to increase the number of emergency refuge areas, which at least gives drivers the chance to get out of a live lane.

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“Too many avoidable deaths, including five on a 16-mile section of the M1 in ten months, have already discredited the current smart motorway design.”

Official stats show 62,517 cars broke down on smart motorways, where the hard shoulder is used as an extra lane at peak times, in the past three years.

Tory MP Matthew Offord, who uncovered the figures, said: “Apart from the safety factor, I have some reservations about whether these motorways actually help cut congestion in the first place.”

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