A roads without a Hard Shoulder

 THE family of a woman killed in a car crash when a recovery vehicle hit her car from behind on the A40 in Hillingdon, North London in June last year are calling for action after two pensioners died on the same road recently.

Relatives have called for Transport for London (TfL) to create a hard shoulder on the A40 in an effort to help stop other families going through the same traumatic experience.

But in April, ten months after the first incident, an 80-year-old man and a woman, aged 76, were hit and killed while sitting in their broken down car on the A40 around two miles away.

A spokesman for TfL, said: “While there are currently no plans to install a hard shoulder along the A40, we will be reviewing what safety measures are currently in place along the A40 to see whether any safety improvements could be made. Improving road safety in the capital is our top priority and we regularly monitor our road network to see where safety can be improved.” He added: “Department for Transport guidelines do not require provision of hard shoulders on A roads.”

There are a number of main A roads throughout the country with no hard shoulder and that have high traffic flows. These therefore carry an increased risk of an incident occurring should a vehicle suffer a breakdown. It is therefore imperative that occupants of the broken down vehicle safely exit their vehicle as soon as possible and wait for assistance in a safe location. Breakdown and recovery technicians should also be aware of the dangers associated with attending and working on vehicles in such areas.