Sindall and Costain Group/Serco. In January 2012, Carillion won the contract for M6 junctions 5 - 8 near Birmingham for £126 million. From 2013 the current term smart motorway was used by the Highways Agency (now National Highways) to promote the technology to road users. In January 2018, the contracts previously awarded to Carillion were taken on by Kier, following the former's entry into compulsory liquidation. In April 2021, the government announced that new smart motorways would include radar, to detect vehicles which had stopped, and additional cameras to aid the detection (and subsequent prosecution) of motorists using lanes which are marked as being closed. The government stated that existing smart motorways would have these additional safety features installed by September 2022. Features Emergency areas In 2017, Highways England trialled a new type of emergency area on the M3 that would be more visibly obvious to motorists. A new sign accompanied the trial which is similar in design to European emergency area signs. These changes have subsequently been trialled on the M5 and M25 with the signs being authorised by the Department for Transport for further use. Emergency stopping areas, when used correctly, are safer than hard shoulders. However, the Government has subsequently reduced the specification of smart motorway design, increasing the minimum interval between refuge areas, possibly decreasing the likelihood of a driver being able to reach a place of relative safety in the event of a breakdown. Stopped vehicle detection Some (18% in 2019) smart motorways employ stopped vehicle detection (SVD). The Government states that all lane running motorways are designed to operate safely without the need for SVD, however SVD reduces the time it takes for National Highways control room staff to close the traffic lane to just one minute. Text messages Early systems used dot matrix signs on gantries to display short text messages, with smaller variable signs above each lane and to the sides of the carriageway. Current smart motorway systems often use the "MS4" sign type which can include pictograms from the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions. Variable lane control To close a lane to traffic, the motorway gantries display a red X to signify a lane closure. The red X is a legal requirement for motorists to comply and failure to comply can result in a £100 fine and three points. Compliance is at 92%, which has not decreased since 2019. Road