‘Nothing untoward’ before fatal M4 crash, jury told

Jurors were read a transcript from a police interview at Milton Keynes police station in August 2022.

O'Sullivan said he felt "fresh" and "intently alert" on the morning of the crash and that he had driven on that same stretch of the M4 "many times".

He added: "There was no indication of anything untoward on the matrix boards or the gantries or anything like that."

O'Sullivan said he saw a vehicle in front of him which he "perceived to be moving with the flow of traffic", adding there were no hazard lights on or doors open.

"When I realised the vehicle was stationary, I immediately hit the brakes, but unfortunately I couldn't avoid the collision and unfortunately we collided," he said.

The driver said he learned afterwards that a safety feature on the smart motorway system had been defective in the days leading up to the collision.

He said: "Had I been notified [of problems] I would have acted, and I definitely wasn't notified."

O'Sullivan added: "I'm certain had this system been working I wouldn't be here now and I wouldn't have collided with that vehicle."