What is a hard shoulder in driving?

Hard shoulder on a motorway: what is it?

Using a motorway is part of almost every British driver's daily routine. Interestingly, they are statistically the safest roads in Britain, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, even though they carry around a fifth of all traffic in the UK. In fact, only around five per cent of fatalities on our roads can be attributed to motorway driving.

Despite this, it’s still extremely important that, when driving on a motorway, you drive with due care and attention. Due to the high speed limits in place on motorways, they pose a dangerous threat, so knowing how to drive properly and safely on a motorway is a necessity for all drivers.

One of the most important parts of motorway driving is knowing how to use the hard shoulder correctly, safely and legally.

What is a hard shoulder?

You will find that a hard shoulder is the emergency lane that runs directly along the left-hand side of a motorway carriageway. A hard shoulder is marked by the solid white line which separates it from the rest of the motorway. It also known as lane one. The standard width for a hard shoulder in the UK is 3.3 metres.

If you are not on a motorway, the 'shoulder' of a road still exists. On most roads without pavements, the shoulder is a strip of grass or a hedgerow, known as a ‘soft shoulder’.

Why do motorways have a hard shoulder?

The motorway network was introduced in the UK in the 1960s and hard shoulders were built along all routes for two main reasons.

The hard shoulder was introduced to the motorway to act primarily as a refuge for any broken-down vehicles and to keep them safely away from the flow of traffic. Hard shoulders also double as an emergency lane, allowing emergency vehicles to bypass traffic and reach the scene of an accident safely and quickly.

Do all motorways have hard shoulders?

Even though hard shoulders were first introduced to UK roads over 80 years ago, the invention of smart motorways means they're not always present. There are three different types of smart motorways.

These types of motorways are said to be safer than traditional types of motorways as detailed in the Smart Motorways Third Year Progress report:

Overall, all three types of smart motorway are safer than conventional motorways in terms of deaths or serious injuries.

All-lane running smart motorways do not have a hard shoulder, as the lane that previously fulfilled this role has been permanently changed to an additional traffic lane.

Controlled motorways do have a permanent hard shoulder; however, they have variable speed limits, which are dependant on traffic, road conditions and weather.

Dynamic smart motorways also have a hard shoulder lane and should be treated in the same way as a conventional hard shoulder during normal times. However, when traffic becomes heavy, it is opened up into an additional traffic lane.

When should you use the hard shoulder?

If your vehicle is broken or you feel it isn't working as it should, you should move over and use the hard shoulder as soon as possible. It's important to move over to the left of the hard shoulder, leaving enough room to open the doors on the left-hand side of the car.

Make sure to put on your car’s handbrake and hazard warning lights and turn the steering wheel so the wheels are pointed to the left. In the worst-case scenario, if your car is struck by another vehicle, this will lessen the chances of it being pushed into motorway traffic.

When should you not use a hard shoulder?

A hard shoulder should not be used when it is not an emergency incident and there are many reasons which would be classed as a 'non-emergency' situation. For example, non-emergencies would include:

Your questions answered

What should I do when I'm stopped on the hard shoulder?

When your car is in the hard shoulder of the motorway, exit the vehicle using the left-hand doors – the driver will need to climb over the car’s central console to do this. Then move to behind the crash barrier, making sure to avoid any debris and uneven surfaces as you do so.

If you can't use a mobile phone to call for breakdown assistance, walk to one of the emergency phones located along the hard shoulder. In this scenario, it is perfectly legal to walk on the hard shoulder, although be careful of any oncoming traffic.

When on the hard shoulder, you should not attempt to fix your car, for example, change a tyre. It's highly recommended to call a recovery firm instead.

What's the penalty for driving on the hard shoulder?

Any inappropriate use of the hard shoulder will result in a charge that will see offenders hit with a £100 fine and three points on their licence.

How should you rejoin the motorway after a breakdown on the hard shoulder?

Once you’re stationary on the hard shoulder, you'll be aware of the high speed of cars travelling on the motorway. If your vehicle is able to rejoin the motorway, you should move off when there's a significant gap.

Signal your intentions and look both behind you and in your blind spot for any hazards. Build up speed on the hard shoulder, and be aware that there could be other vehicles, people, or obstacles in the way as you do so.

What colour are the reflective studs between the hard shoulder and the left-hand lane of a motorway?

The studs on the left-hand side of the motorway between the left lane and the hard shoulder are red reflective studs. These differ from the white studs found in the centre of the lane and the amber studs found on the right most edge next to the central reservation.