esure comments on today’s recommendation by the Department for Transport to extend usage of hard shoulders on motorways

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Although esure broadly welcomes today’s proposals1 on the extension of the usage of hard shoulders to help ease the growing problem of congestion on Britain’s motorways, there are safety concerns amongst motorists relating to the loss of a vital breakdown area and an emergency services access route.

Research commissioned by esure car insurance2 revealed that over a third (37 per cent) of motorists questioned have used the hard shoulder in the event of a breakdown, which demonstrates the widespread dependence of the hard shoulder to UK drivers in times of emergency.

Overall, a massive 89 per cent of UK drivers surveyed said that they felt safer driving on motorways because of having access to the hard shoulder. In fact, over a fifth of motorists (27 per cent) questioned admitted that they would completely avoid using stretches of motorways where the hard shoulder was being used as an extra lane.

More than half (58 per cent) of those questioned said they wouldn’t feel confident driving on the motorways with no hard shoulder available whilst 85 per cent were concerned that emergency services could be prevented from reaching their destination – such as a serious road accident

Mike Pickard, Head of Risk and Underwriting at esure, said: "It is crucial for drivers to feel safe and confident behind the wheel – especially when driving at motorway speeds. Heightened anxiety caused by not having a safe place to pull in to could lead to a lack of concentration and potentially increase the risk of having an accident which would lead to further congestion.

The hard shoulder is a notorious hotspot for accidents at the best of times as broken down vehicles distract other motorists. However, not having a hard shoulder is likely to significantly increase the vulnerability of motorists involved in a break down. The golden rule is always to pull in as far away from the moving traffic as possible, yet some motorists, without having the width of a hard shoulder, may resort to driving up the motorway bank in fear of their own safety.

That’s why although we welcome the Government’s commitment to tackling congestion on motorways, we believe that this should not have a detrimental affect on the safety of motorists or their perceived level of safety whilst driving."

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Asia Manzoor, Public Relations Officer: 01737 641305
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Email: pr@esure.com

Notes to editors

1The Command Paper 'Roads - Delivering Choice and Reliability' is available on the DfT website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/introtoroads/roadcongestion/roadscommandpaper1.pdf
2 esure used the independent online research company FlyResearch who surveyed 1,000 of the UK's motorists, from across the country aged 18 and over, on 28th April 2008.

About esure

esure was launched in 2001 and is a joint venture between Peter Wood and HBOS. The company offers car, home, pet and travel insurance over the internet and by phone. esure also offers car insurance cover through the brands Halifax, Sainsbury’s, Sheilas Wheels’ and more recently home insurance through the Sheilas’ Wheels brand.

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