esure.com

• car
• home
• pet
• travel
• loans
• motorbike
• van

A shoulder to lean on: When to use the hard shoulder

Research commissioned by esure car insurance shows that a worrying 50 per cent¹ of motorists are unaware that – unless you have broken down - stopping or driving on the hard shoulder is against the law. Stopping on the hard shoulder to make a phone call, stretch your legs, or separate arguing kids on the back seat are all illegal and should be avoided. Plan your journey in advance and always make a note of service stations or rest areas en route.

The survey also showed that existing trials in Birmingham², inviting motorists to use the hard shoulder as an extra lane in times of congestion, have fuelled this misunderstanding further with nearly one in five (17 per cent) motorists already believing it is legal to use the hard shoulder in heavy traffic.

You should plan and prepare for your motorway journeys well in advance and be clear on where you can and can’t drive to avoid confusion. Details of a current pilot scheme where the hard shoulder can be used other than for a break down, are listed below:

• The pilot project runs along an 11 mile stretch of the M42 near Birmingham and began in September 2006. The hard shoulder was used as an extra lane and the speed limit reduced to 50mph, when traffic levels built up
• Drivers are directed to use the hard shoulder on this 11 mile stretch of the M42, from south of Birmingham and through Warwickshire, at certain times
• A 50mph speed limit warning over the hard shoulder between junctions 3A and 7 shows when the lane is in use
• The Transport Secretary has said that the scheme will be extended to a number of motorways in England, including the M1, M6, M62, M27, M4, M5 and motorways which feed into the M25 such as the M20 and M3
• More recently The Highways Agency has raised the speed limit for vehicles using the hard shoulder on one section of the M42 from 50mph to 60mph. The measure is the latest move in the effort to ease congestion on motorways by allowing vehicles to use the hard shoulder
• The increased speed limit applies to the two-and-a-half-mile southbound stretch of the M42 between Junctions 4 and 3A, with overhead signs displaying the speed limit in force

¹esure used the independent online research company FlyResearch who surveyed 1,000 of the UK’s motorists, from across the country aged 18 and over, on 28th April 2008.
² Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly’s recent controversial proposals to open up hard shoulders as extra lanes in times of congestion are currently being trialled on the M42 near Birmingham.