A 68-year-old grandmother was killed after a van crashed into her stationary vehicle, with a court hearing that smart motorway technology could have contributed to the accident.
Reading Crown Court heard that Pulvinder Dhillon was instantly killed after a van smashed into her stationary Nissan Micra on the M4 in March 2022.
Ms Dhillon and her daughter were in the Micra when it broke down in the fast lane of the M4, leaving them trapped for six minutes.
The Telegraph reports that safety technology fitted to the motorway without hard shoulders had been "defective for five days", the court heard.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
National Highways was unable to trigger any of the "red X" signs above the smart motorway to close the lane for traffic behind the broken-down vehicle.
The driver of the Ford Transit van, which crashed into the Nissan Micra, has been charged with causing death by careless driving, which he denies.
Ms Dhillon was in the front passenger seat of the vehicle when the car "lost power" for "some unknown reason".
Ian Hope, who is prosecuting, explained that the car came to a stop on the central reservation and had a "system failure" warning light appear while on a "section of smart motorway without a hard shoulder".
Reading Crown Court heard that Pulvinder Dhillon was killed after smart motorway technology 'failed'
|PA/THAMES VALLEY POLICE
It was reported that Rajpal Dene, Ms Dhillon's daughter, turned on the hazard lights and tried to restart the car, but the attempt failed.
Mr Hope claimed that the driver of the van "ploughed straight" into the car in a "high-velocity" crash.
The jury was reportedly shown an eight-minute video from a CCTV camera showing cars swerving around the stationary vehicle prior to the collision.
The barrister added: "The smart motorway system wasn't working and therefore it wasn't showing messages about any obstructions in the road ahead or to alter your speed.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The court heard that a 'red X' symbol could not be displayed on the gantries above the M4 near Reading at the time of the accident
|PA
"The defence, on one level, points to failings in the smart motorway system. They will suggest that [this] would never have happened apart from those failings."
The trial, which is expected to last around two weeks, continues.
New research has found that anxiety about driving on a smart motorway has almost doubled over the last year, from just under a quarter to almost half.
Motorists remain uneasy when travelling on a motorway without a hard shoulder, citing concerns around the spacing between emergency refuge areas.
All new smart motorways were axed in 2023 by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
|PA
Under former Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Government scrapped all new smart motorways due to financial pressures and a lack of confidence felt by road users.
Speaking at the time, Mr Sunak said all drivers should have confidence in the roads they use, a point which has been echoed by AA President Edmund King.
He explained: "It's not surprising that our members are more anxious about using 'smart' motorways. If you break down in a live lane, in effect, you are a sitting duck. The failure of 'smart' motorway technology over the last few years has, no doubt, added to the levels of anxiety.
"What the AA and our members would like to see is the return of the hard shoulder in a controlled motorway environment."