Hi I’m an HGV driver and to be honest I’ve always thought smart motorways where stupid but only because the got rid of the hard shoulder and I’ve always kept my opinion to myself.
Tonight changed my way of thinking.
I was driving up the M1 towards the M18 as I came over junction 29a I noticed a broken down vehicle in the distance, I also noticed sign saying refuge 1/2 mile ahead. I was being overtaken by another hgv in lane 2 [and] the broken down vehicle looked to be in the refugee bay and there where no warning signs or lane closure signs lit up on the gantry so I continued, as I got closer I realised the broken down vehicle was still half in my lane, they had stopped short of refugee area. I had no where to go and had to make an emergency stop to miss the vehicle and the 2 women standing next to the car. I immediately called the police who after taking my details and information on where the vehicle was informed me they had taken several calls about the stranded vehicle, this annoyed me as the lane was still live so I and everyone behind me had no prior warning of the stranded car and 2 women standing next to it.
After the call to the police I continued on my journey and thought about what had happened about 5 to 10 minutes further up the motorway the adrenaline had subsided and the reality of what had just happened hit me. I’m an experienced hgv driver I’ve been driving them since 1995 and witnessed many dreadful accidents however this near miss and potential crash was and is totally avoidable, and all it would take to avoid it is to reinstate the hard shoulder. That way the broken down car and the 2 women would of been in a safer place and I would not be sitting at home having to deal with my thoughts and feelings over the unbearable thoughts of what could of happened.
its affected me to the point I needed to speak out and I felt I had to search for a group or a site who would understand my thoughts.
thank you in advance for helping me voice my concerns and help me to cope with the incident
Reply – Hi xxxx,
I’m sorry you had such a terrible experience, I can tell it has affected you badly. The lack of awareness about these roads is nearly as terrifying as the roads themselves, a lot of people tell themselves the victims did something wrong, or they themselves are “advanced drivers” (we hear that one A LOT) so would not end up in these situations or that drivers should have got over the barrier (never thinking that h.e would not check local geography and just blanket roll these roads out even when there was “no over the barrier)
Would you mind if I posted your message to our page?
Thanks
Claire
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