There are growing calls for a smart motorway rule change across some of England's largest motorways, following a tragic incident where a man killed the passenger of a broken-down car on a smart motorway where the safety alert system had failed.
Sentencing and Case Details
Barry O’Sullivan, 45, was sentenced on Friday to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, after being found guilty at an earlier trial of causing the death of 68-year-old Pulvinder Dhillon by careless driving in March 2022. O’Sullivan was driving a Ford work van along the M4 when he collided with a Nissan Micra that had come to a halt in the fast lane.
Technical Failure on M4 Smart Motorway
It later emerged that an unresolved technical failure on the M4 smart motorway network meant radar alerts for broken-down vehicles were not being properly communicated to the control room. This failure had been ongoing for five days before the crash.
Judge Amjad Nawaz, sentencing at Reading Crown Court on Friday, stated: “Nothing the defendant said explained why he didn’t see the car ahead. There were plenty of cues, and no evidence of slowing down.”
Expert Reactions
AA president Edmund King issued a warning over the case, saying: “Once broken down in a live lane, the system is meant to use technology to alert other drivers about the stopped vehicle. In this case, and on many other occasions, the technology just was not working.” He added: “This was a crash waiting to happen,” calling for the Government to restore hard shoulders across the network and end what he described as a “failed experiment”.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams also warned: “If any of it fails, then lives are put at risk.”
National Highways Response
National Highways, which manages England's motorways, said: “Any death on our roads is one too many, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of Pulvinder Dhillon following this tragic incident. While nothing can ever compensate for their loss, the person responsible has been found guilty of driving carelessly.”
