Families of smart motorway victims left disgusted by ‘crass’ squashed fly advertising campaign

A television campaign featuring squashed flies on a car windscreen giving safety advice has been reported to the advertising watchdog  by relatives of those killed on smart motorways for being “crass and insensitive”.

The £5 million Highways England public information campaign was launched yesterday in an attempt to educate motorists about what to do if they break down on routes where hard shoulders have been turned into live lanes.

Two fly characters sing “Go Left” to the Pet Shop Boys tune “Go West” to ensure a driver running out of petrol pulls in to an Emergency Refuge Area (ERA).

But, relatives of those killed on smart motorways have condemned the campaign for “joking” about a life-and-death situation and failing to explain what to do if someone cannot reach an ERA and becomes stranded on a live lane.