Smart Motorway Safety Systems in UK Down Again, Raising Concerns Over Safety
On Wednesday, during rush hour, the Dynac computer system, the road’s equivalent of air traffic control, crashed for two hours, which resulted in National Highways staff being unable to close or open lanes to traffic or use radar to spot motorists who had broken down in live lanes. Instead, officials had to use a web-based system to access CCTV cameras monitoring routes where the hard shoulder had been removed to make a fourth lane. The Dynac computer system went down on all of the country’s smart motorways, apart from south and south-east where Dynac is not yet used. It is concerning that the failure of the system could mean that National Highways staff would struggle to spot stranded vehicles or close lanes across the network, and there are questions about the safety of smart motorways.
While the full impact of the failure is still being assessed, initial analysis of the network suggested there were no crashes during the outage. However, the failure happened just hours before a parliamentary debate was due to be held where the safety of smart motorways would be raised. This incident is not the first time that the safety of smart motorways has been called into question. Critics argue that the removal of the hard shoulder on smart motorways is dangerous, as there is nowhere for drivers to stop in case of an emergency. They also say that the use of smart motorways is resulting in more accidents, and that the systems in place to manage traffic on these roads are inadequate.
The government has responded to concerns about the safety of smart motorways by conducting a review of the system, which was published in 2020. The review recommended several changes to make smart motorways safer, including the use of stopped vehicle detection technology to identify broken-down vehicles more quickly, and the provision of more emergency refuge areas. However, there are concerns that these changes are not being implemented quickly enough, and that smart motorways continue to pose a risk to drivers.
The latest failure of the Dynac computer system is a reminder of the risks associated with smart motorways, and highlights the need for the government to take action to improve safety. It is essential that National Highways staff are able to spot stranded vehicles quickly and close lanes to traffic to prevent accidents. The government must also ensure that the recommendations made in the review of smart motorways are implemented as soon as possible to reduce the risk of accidents on these roads.
In conclusion, the latest failure of the Dynac computer system raises concerns about the safety of smart motorways and the ability of National Highways staff to manage traffic on these roads. The government must take action to improve the safety of smart motorways by implementing the recommendations made in the review of the system and ensuring that staff have the necessary tools and training to manage traffic effectively. It is essential that drivers can travel on smart motorways without fear for their safety, and the government must take action to make this a reality.