The AA president has applauded progress on 'smart' motorway safety but has also demanded further action.

The M5 in Worcester is  a smart motorway, between junctions six and seven.

Commenting on the latest 'smart' motorways update, Edmund King said: "We applaud National Highways for making good progress in implementing and improving the performance of Stopped Vehicle Detection and other safety measures on ‘smart’ motorways following serious concerns raised by the AA and others."

He emphasised the ongoing issue of frequent stopped vehicle incidents on All Lane Running (ALR) 'smart' motorways, compared to those with hard shoulders.

He said: “The fundamental problem remains that stopped vehicle incidents are more frequent on All Lane Running (ALR) ‘smart’ motorways compared to motorways with hard shoulders."

Mr King recommended reinstating the hard shoulder or significantly increasing the number of Emergency Areas, saying "at the very least the number of Emergency Areas needs to be radically increased".

Breaking down or stopping in a live lane is terrifying, as Mr King explained using evidence from AA operators who take distressed calls.

He said: "The prospect of breaking down or stopping in a live lane is daunting as our AA call centre operators who take the distressed calls can confirm. The advice remains that if you breakdown in a live lane and can’t exit the vehicle safely via the passenger seat, you should keep your seat belt on, put on hazard lights and other lights and dial 999.

"It is an emergency."

However, Mr King urged drivers to uphold their responsibility to ensure vehicle maintenance, react promptly to warning lights, and drive safely.

He welcomed scrapping plans for new 'smart' motorways, but insisted more should be done even with advances in existing motorway technology.

Mr King called for more 'controlled motorways' which have lower killed or serious injury rates than ALR.

He said: “We have called for more ‘controlled motorways’ which the report shows have lower killed or serious injury rates (KSI) than All Lane Running (1.31 compared to 1.43)."

He added: "These motorways have the benefit of 'smart' motorway technology whilst also having a hard shoulder."