Drivers pay more than £100,000 for ignoring lane closures on smart motorways, research says

Nearly 380 drivers ignored lane closures on smart motorways this year, leaving them paying fines and costs totalling more than £100,000, research found.

Court records from England and Wales show 378 drivers have been convicted of ignoring the red X closure signs since the start of this year.

That's led to fines totalling £48,409, costs of £33,255, and £20,183 in victim surcharges. In total, that's meant £101,847 in costs for motorists caught out, according to figures from Press Association.

The RAC said it was "concerning" that drivers were continuing to flout the rules, with road safety spokesman Rod Dennis adding: "The signs play an absolutely fundamental role in keeping people safe.

"This is especially the case on those where the hard shoulder has been removed permanently, as the safety of a driver who has broken down in a live lane will depend entirely on other people reacting to the red X by moving to another lane."

He added: "We implore drivers to take heed of these signs whenever and wherever they see them - not doing so might very well be putting people's lives in danger."

Smart motorways were introduced a decade ago and feature technology to allow variable speed limits and lane closures to manage traffic.

When a lane is closed, either automatically or by National Highways due to accidents and other incidents, a red X is shown on signs above the lane.

Last week, 12 motorists were convicted of ignoring the signs, in private court hearings dealt with under the fast-track single justice procedure.

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Cameras dotted across the smart motorway network catch the offenders, and many thousands are issued with £100 fixed penalty fines.

But some drivers still faced full criminal prosecution for breaking the lane-closure rules, Press Association found.

Most guilty motorists are also issued with three penalty points, and some end up with a driving ban if they already have points on their licences.

(c) Sky News 2026: Drivers pay more than £100,000 for ignoring lane closures on smart motorways, research says