A quarter of drivers misuse the hard shoulder

29 May 2013

Story from Fleet News

A quarter of drivers have potentially endangered their lives by stopping on the hard shoulder in a non-emergency according to research by the breakdown industry group Survive.

Since 2000, 836 people on average in the UK have been killed or injured each year in incidents on hard shoulders and lay-bys.

Out of 20,073 people, 58% (63% men; 49% women) of respondents have stopped on the hard shoulder at some point. The research also reveals that 7% of drivers admit to driving on a motorway in a car that they knew was unreliable or which had a fault that was likely to cause it to stop. The drivers most likely to have taken this gamble are young drivers (14% of 18-24yrs) and those in London and Northern Ireland (both 9%).

Allan Mowatt, chairman of Survive, said, "The hard shoulder can be a highly dangerous place with vehicles thundering past just feet away but some people don't fully appreciate the risks involved in stopping on the hard shoulder".

He added, "The point is that, by law, the hard shoulder is for genuine emergencies only. If you stop for any other reason, you could be fined up to £60 and receive three penalty points, as well as potentially putting your life at risk. No phone call or loo stop is worth it."