To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's public information campaign on smart motorways.
Answered on
8 June 2022
In March 2020, as part of the Smart motorway safety evidence stocktake and action plan, the Transport Secretary committed an additional £5 million to communications campaigns to further increase awareness and understanding of smart motorways.
In March 2021 National Highways launched a new national public information campaign, ‘Go left’, to give drivers clear information about what to do in a breakdown.
Other public information campaigns being delivered by National Highways include urging drivers to adhere to Red X signals, to carry out tyre checks, to discourage tailgating and advise drivers on the use of the emergency (eCall) system in newer cars and vans.
In January 2022, National Highways launched a ‘Driving on Motorways’ hub on its website, providing a central point for all its information on motorway driving, including smart motorways. The hub was launched alongside a multimedia campaign, with content featured reaching over 6 million listeners.