Overview

• Smart motorways logged 141,149 breakdown incidents in 2024, averaging 387 per day
• Smart routes accounted for 56% of all motorway breakdowns despite comprising just 20% of the network
• Total breakdowns on England’s motorways rose to 251,448 last year, up 3% from 2023 and 47% since 2014
• AA president Edmund King described the figures as a “major concern,” warning that live-lane stoppages heighten collision risks
• National Highways credits enhanced live-lane detection technology and over 150 new emergency refuge areas for faster response to stopped vehicles