The first Smart Motorway emergency "refuge" area is being trialled on the M3 Smart Motorway near Camberley .

Highways England said the redesigned emergency area has a highly visible orange road surface and clear signs to help improve its visibility to make it more obvious to drivers.

The M3 Smart Motorway will have no hard shoulder, which has been converted into a live running lane to increase capacity.

Such refuge areas will be provided instead as a safe place to stop in an emergency, such as when a vehicle has an issue.

The first of the new emergency areas went live on Friday (July 14). More upgrades are planned if the trial is successful.

M3 Smart Motorway Latest

This change is part of an ongoing review into the design and spacing of emergency areas on smart motorways, due to report in the autumn.

Highways England chief executive Jim O’Sullivan said: "We know that smart motorways are safe.

"But we also recognise that drivers need to have confidence when using them and be clear about where they can stop in an emergency.

"That is why we are trialling these highly visible new style emergency areas.

"The bright orange colouring will make them as easy as possible to spot and should also discourage drivers from using them in non-emergency situations."

The first of the new orange emergency areas was launched on Friday (July 14)

Smart motorways are designed to use variable speed limits to manage traffic and tackle frustrating stop-start congestion.

The new technology will reportedly give drivers better information on road conditions ahead and convert the hard shoulder into an extra traffic lane.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "Smart motorways are adding extra lanes to our busiest motorways and – as recent evidence shows – reducing the rate of crashes.

"We are making emergency refuge areas more visible to ensure motorists in trouble can easily identify where to stop safely."

The M3 at Camberley, near where the first refuge area will be

Highways England said if the redesigned emergency areas are successful and drivers find the changes beneficial, more orange emergency areas will be introduced across the country's network of smart motorways.

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