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<p>The most recent data on fatalities published is for 2017 and 2018. For smart motorways
(this includes All Lane Running, Dynamic Hard Shoulder and Controlled Motorways),
there were 8 fatalities in 2017 and 19 in 2018. This is compared with 83 fatalities
on Conventional Motorways in 2017 and 67 in 2018. While this metric for fatalities
gives us an understanding about safety on different road types, it does not consider
the volume of traffic on these roads and how intensely they are used. The fatal casualty
rate, which are fatalities per hundred million vehicle miles travelled, accounts for
the volume of traffic that roads carry.</p><p> </p><p>The most recent data in the
table below shows that fatal casualty rates on smart motorways are lower than on conventional
motorways:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Motorway type </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Fatal
casualty rates per hundred million vehicle miles </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Controlled
Motorways </strong></p></td><td><p>0.07 per hundred million vehicle miles</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Dynamic
Hard Shoulder </strong></p></td><td><p>0.07 per hundred million vehicle miles</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>All
Lane Running </strong></p></td><td><p>0.11 per hundred million vehicle miles</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Conventional
Motorways </strong></p></td><td><p>0.16 per hundred million vehicle miles</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Fatal
casualty rates per hundred million vehicle miles, 2015-2018.</p><p> </p><p>Following
concerns about smart motorway safety the Secretary of State asked the department to
review the evidence and, if needed, bring forward recommendations. The conclusions
were published in March 2020. Overall what the evidence in the <em>Smart Motorway
Safety Evidence Stocktake and Action Plan</em> shows is that in most ways, smart motorways
are as safe as, or safer than, the conventional ones. To ensure that smart motorways
are as safe as they can be, alongside the safety evidence stocktake, we published
an 18-point Action Plan.</p><p> </p><p>Highways England is implementing the Action
Plan in full and has already completed work, including the provision of 10 additional
emergency areas on the M25 and making all emergency areas more visible by introducing
a bright orange surface and better, more frequent signs.</p>
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