Mum scarred for life after ‘violent’ crash on smart motorway

A mum who survived a crash on a smart motorway ^[1] says she has been scarred for the rest of her life. Ana Borges, a mental health act administrator from Kegworth ^[2], drives every day on the M1 to get to work in Arnold ^[3].

But on the morning of April 25, her life turned upside down. The 43-year-old was driving on the northbound carriageway near J24a - where there is no hard shoulder - when she noticed she had a flat tyre.

"I panicked", she said. "I went to the left lane and I was scared because there was no hard shoulder."

How well do you know Nottinghamshire's parks? Test your knowledge ^[4]

Ms Borges moved to the left lane ^[5] and drove at 10 miles an hour for around two minutes - with her hazard lights on. She said she was planning to keep driving at a low speed until reaching the section with a hard shoulder.

She added: "I felt unsafe, but the cars were seeing me and were moving to the other lane. I just stopped looking in the mirror - and I felt the crash."

Traffic was stopped on the northbound carriageway between J24a and J25 for Nottingham just before 7.30am. In a statement at the time, traffic monitoring website Inrix said two lanes were closed after a collision involving a car and lorry.^[6]

Next thing Ms Borges remembers about the crash is the huge impact that sent her car "spinning". "And then I hit the rail", she added.

Her car - an Alfa Romeo Brera - was "all smashed", Ms Borges added. "It was all very violent.

"I broke my back in different places. A gentleman came and told me he did not know how I survived.

Her spine is now fused from vertebras T3 to T11 with metal work.

"I was conscious the whole time. I tried to get out of the car because the impact broke my seat and I was just laying back, trying to reach the door.

"I just could not. The pain was too horrible. I broke six ribs, I broke my back in different places.

"I am an active person", she added before correcting herself: "Well, I was an active person. I had to have a surgery on my back - and now I have to suffer the consequences of not being able to bend."

She confirmed that she was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash. Ms Borges said her post-surgery scars are permanent.

But it is not just the physical scars that will affect her life forever, including her mobility which has also been impacted. "Now I need to find another way to get to work", she added.

"I do not want to take that risk again. It is not safe at all.

"Yesterday I was with my husband, and we were on the M1. I was feeling so nervous even though I was not driving."

Ms Borges, a mum of one, added: "Smart motorways should be scrapped. Because more people will die.

"It is horrible because you feel like you cannot do anything if you have a problem with your car. If you want to pull over, well, it feels like a death sentence.

"You do not have a way out. You just need to cross your fingers and hopefully nobody will hit you."

Ms Borges, who is originally from Portugal, added: "I think there should be a hard shoulder. In my country there is a hard shoulder everywhere.

"Where you are on a smart motorway, anything can happen to anyone. We are not safe at all."

The government has cancelled all plans for new smart motorways, in recognition of the lack of public confidence felt by drivers. This does not affect however the smart motorways that are currently running.

A National Highways survey considering feelings of safety found drivers are more confident driving on motorways with hard shoulders than without, with approximately one in five drivers - 22 percent - saying they do not feel confident driving on motorways without a hard a shoulder but with emergency areas. The Government and National Highways continue to invest £900 million in further safety improvements on existing smart motorways, and to give motorists advice when using existing smart motorways.

A National Highways spokesperson said: “Our motorways are some of the safest in the world and we will continue to deliver an extensive programme of upgrades to further improve existing smart motorways.

“However, we appreciate that more work is needed to help ensure everyone feels confident when using existing smart motorways. We will continue to invest to improve understanding of how to drive safely, particularly on those stretches without a hard shoulder.”

Earlier this month, Nottinghamshire Live launched a campaign calling for an end to all smart motorways ^[7]. In addition to this, we have also written to Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper ^[8], asking him to meet some of the bereaved families who lost loved ones on smart motorways.

References

^{^} smart motorway (www.nottinghampost.com)
^{^} Kegworth (www.nottinghampost.com)
^{^} Arnold (www.nottinghampost.com)
^{^} Test your knowledge (xd.wayin.com)
^{^} Ms Borges moved to the left lane (www.nottinghampost.com)
^{^} collision involving a car and lorry. (www.nottinghampost.com)
^{^} Nottinghamshire Live launched a campaign calling for an end to all smart motorways (www.nottinghampost.com)
^{^} e have also written to Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper (www.nottinghampost.com)