Coroner warns of smart motorway dangers after lorry kills stranded driver who had broken down

By JACK HARDY[1]

Published: 21:14, 18 February 2025 | Updated: 21:28, 18 February 2025

A coroner has issued fresh safety warnings over smart motorways[2] after a driver was killed when his car became stranded.

Father-of-one Kevin O'Reilly, 58, had broken down on the M6 near Wolverhampton without a hard shoulder in June 2023 when his black Mitsubishi was hit by a lorry.

Coroner Emma Serrano has now warned that more drivers are at risk of a similar fate.

The controversial roads have been plagued by safety concerns for years, with critics pointing to dozens of deaths caused by the removal of the hard shoulder.

'Much-loved' Mr O'Reilly, from Coventry, found his car running out of petrol[3] when not near a refuge area as he headed towards Junction 12 on the M6.

The Mitsubishi came to a stop in the third lane and was struck by a Volvo lorry.

Mr O'Reilly suffered brain injuries and spent months in hospital until he died in February last year.

Kevin O'Reilly (pictured) was killed after a lorry hit his black Mitsubishi on a smart motorway in June 2023

Sections of the M6 have been upgraded to 'all lanes running' smart motorway, where the hard shoulder has been permanently removed and with variable speed limits

This section of the M6 is an 'all lanes open' smart motorway - where all lanes run and the hard shoulder has been permanently removed.

Refuge areas are spaced every 1.6 miles, with technology used to respond to breakdowns and monitor traffic flow.

Following the inquest into his death, Ms Serrano, the coroner for the Staffordshire area, said: 'It was accepted that there was no area for vehicles to stop should they need to, unless they were near to the refuge areas spaced 1.6 miles apart, and the all lanes open motorways were not monitored.'

She told Highways England: 'In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the power to take such action.'

References

1. ^ JACK HARDY (www.dailymail.co.uk)
2. ^ smart motorways (www.dailymail.co.uk)
3. ^ petrol (www.dailymail.co.uk)