Motorways: Disability

(asked on 31st January 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current guidance is for disabled people should the vehicle they are driving break down on a smart motorway.


Answered by
Trudy Harrison Portrait
Trudy Harrison
This question was answered on 4th February 2022

National Highways’ objective is for all road users, including disabled road users, to feel confident that they will have the help they need if they break down, or need assistance on England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN), including on smart motorways. It has produced a short film in partnership with Disabled Motoring UK: Driving on England’s motorways – a disabled driver's perspective - YouTube.

This is alongside the following guidance for road users in the event of a breakdown if they are unable to exit their vehicles:

  • Stay in your vehicle
  • Keep your seatbelts and hazard warning lights on
  • Call 999 immediately. The emergency services can alert National Highways, so that its operators can close motorway lanes and send other help as required, such as a National Highways Traffic Officer
  • Road users are advised to tell operators if they are disabled and/or a vulnerable motorist such as an older person or travelling alone
  • If a road user is unable to use the roadside phones, they can contact National Highways via text on 0738 028 3600 for roadside assistance and for British Sign Language users the SignLive service is available
  • Road Users are advised to always carry any medication they need with them and to prepare for their journey in advance

Additionally, in September 2021, National Highways launched a partnership with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to create a free Sunflower for their vehicle, as part of National Highways’ commitment to ensuring disabled road users travel safely on its roads. Displaying the Sunflower indicates that a road user has a non-visible disability and may need additional support from traffic officers and others. Displaying this means that the road user will get the help they need if they break down on the motorway.

It should also be noted that the Secretary of State has paused the rollout of future ALR smart motorway schemes until a full 5 years’ worth of safety data is available, and during the pause, we will continue to make sure all existing ALR smart motorways are equipped with best-in-class technology and resources and are as safe as they can possibly be.

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