Leicester crash death mother welcomes smart motorway changes

The coroner at Dev Naran's inquest expressed concern over smart motorway design

New safety measures on smart motorways have been welcomed by a woman whose son was killed in a hard shoulder crash.

Eight-year-old Dev Naran died in May 2018 when the car he was in was hit by a lorry on the M6.

The government has said no new smart motorways - where the hard shoulder can be opened to all traffic - will be built until radar technology is fitted.

Meera Naran, from Leicester, said: "This is technology that needs to be in place to prevent collisions occurring."

Meera Naran said agencies and campaigners had to work together

Dev was in his grandfather's car when it stopped on the hard shoulder near Birmingham.

After the inquest into Dev's death coroner Emma Brown warned of the dangers of smart motorways, saying drivers could become confused.

Following a number of other deaths on smart motorways the government has said new safety measures, including radar-based stopped vehicle detection technology, will be installed by September 2022.

The crash happed near Birmingham's spaghetti junction on the M6

Mrs Naran, now an independent road safety campaigner, said: "This is a really positive step forward and I think that has been echoed by all the road safety organisations involved.

"The right technology needs to be looked at and we need to work together."

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Other improvements announced by the government include upgrading cameras to help identify motorists ignoring closed lanes.

Smart motorways use overhead signage - speed limits or red crosses - to open or close lanes, depending on weight of traffic.

Simon Williams, from the RAC, said: "This new technology is a step in the right direction.

"We need education to make sure drivers know to avoid those lanes with a red X and cameras catch those ignoring them."