Nargis Begum died after a broken-down car was left in a live lane on the M1 for over 16 minutes

A woman died on a SMART motorway after 153 drivers passed a broken-down car without alerting emergency services. Nargis Begum, 62, was fatally injured when a Mercedes slammed into the stationary vehicle she had exited, pushing it into her on the M1 near Woodall Services in South Yorkshire.

The tragic incident occurred on 9 September 2018 but continues to haunt road safety debates after a damning report, published on 18 June 2025 by Senior Coroner Nicola Mundy, revealed stark failings that may have prevented her death.

Nargis had been travelling as a front-seat passenger with her husband on the northbound carriageway of the M1. They were navigating an “All Lanes Running” SMART motorway section—meaning there was no hard shoulder, only live traffic lanes. According to the coroner’s prevention of future deaths report, the vehicle began to lose power without prior warning. Though recently serviced and with no recorded faults, it came to a halt in Lane 1 of the motorway.

Her husband managed to steer it as far left as possible, but the offside wheels still remained within the live carriageway. Nargis exited the vehicle and waited on the roadside barrier near the car. For more than 16 minutes, no emergency call was made by any of the 153 motorists who passed the stranded vehicle.

Then, without warning, a Mercedes ploughed into the rear of the car. The impact launched it into Nargis, who was standing nearby. She died at the scene from the catastrophic injuries sustained.

Yorkshire Live, which reported extensively on the inquest, noted that the lack of any early warning system or rapid response highlights the continuing risks posed by SMART motorways—where drivers are often left with nowhere safe to stop and wait.

The coroner’s findings, originally issued in 2022 but only now made fully public, express grave concern over the absence of adequate safety protocols, including the failure to detect stranded vehicles in live lanes quickly enough.

“There was a significant opportunity to mitigate the outcome,” the report states. “The failure to alert or respond within a critical timeframe had fatal consequences.”

Nargis Begum’s case is far from isolated. It follows mounting criticism of SMART motorways across the UK, where the removal of hard shoulders in favour of live running lanes has raised safety fears. Transport officials claim they improve congestion, but campaigners and grieving families argue the cost in human lives is too high.

A government review of SMART motorways was initiated in 2020, and further plans for new routes were scrapped in 2023. However, many existing sections—like the one where Nargis lost her life—remain active.

Her death has reignited calls for full reinstatement of hard shoulders and improved detection technology capable of identifying stopped vehicles in seconds, not minutes.

As families seek accountability, Nargis’s story stands as a harrowing reminder of what can happen when technology, infrastructure, and human vigilance fall short.