can reduce journey times. For example, on the M6 around Crewe, the average commuting time decreased by an average of 40 minutes. Public opinion A 2022 survey found that 73% of drivers will not use the leftmost lane on a smart motorway. This is an increase since 2019 (56%). According to the RAC, 'only 23% of drivers trust that the highways authority can identify a stopped vehicle and respond accordingly'. In 2022, 22% of drivers say they do not feel confident on motorways without a hard shoulder. This is compared to 12% on motorways with a hard shoulder and 8% on dual carriageways (normally without a hard shoulder). Emergency refuge areas are currently provided up to 2.5 km apart. 63% of drivers believed this is too far and 79% of drivers are concerned they would not be able to reach a refuge in time. Emergency vehicle access There is some concern over the ability of emergency services and traffic patrol officers to access incidents on smart motorways when traffic is congested. Safety All lane running schemes - whereby the hard shoulder is removed - appear to be more unsafe because they design out the current principal safety mechanism on motorways - the hard shoulder. An independent review concluded that it is beyond doubt that the removal of a hardshoulder is less safe than any other form of 'smart' motorway. Within Great Britain, motorways are the safest roads to travel on. Drivers are more likely to be killed or seriously injured per mile driven on an A-road than on a motorway, even more so on single-carriageway A-roads. Smart motorways theoretically 'reduce some forms of risk' because traffic speeds become more consistent, technology monitors and alerts drivers to hazards and because emergency areas are safer places to stop than hard shoulders. In fact, 2012 Highways England analysis found that All-lane-running smart motorways were expected to reduce risk by 20% over conventional three lane motorways. Monitoring of slight and serious casualties was undertaken by Highways England and the Department for Transport between 2015 and 2018. While the statistics showed a slight increase in serious and slight casualties and a slight decrease in fatal casualties, accuracy is limited because roads are not necessarily compared like for like. Per 100 million miles travelled, the following were measured – When individual sections of motorway are considered before and after conversion to all lane running, statistics show