M4 smart motorway alerts malfunctioned for days before fatal crash, court hears
Pulvinder Dhillon died from her injuries.
A court has heard that an unresolved technical failure on the M4 smart motorway network meant that crucial alerts for broken-down vehicles were not communicated properly, contributing to a fatal collision.
The malfunction occurred on March 2nd 2022 and lasted five days before the crash on March 7th.
Barry O'Sullivan, 45, driving a Ford Transit Connect, collided with a Nissan Micra, which was stationary in the fast lane between junctions 11 and 12 westbound.
The collision propelled both vehicles forward and resulted in the Nissan igniting.
Pulvinder Dhillon, a passenger in the Micra, died from her injuries.
During the trial at Reading Crown Court, it was revealed that the smart motorway system failed to display warnings about road obstructions on the morning of the incident.
Stopped vehicle detection radars from junction 8/9 to 12 failed to communicate alerts from March 2nd due to a technical IT network error.
Ian Bridge, O'Sullivan's lawyer, cited findings from a National Highways report.
According to the report, the detection was operational, but communication lapses hindered alert delivery to operators at the regional operations centre.
Furthermore, the report suggested a vehicle was detected on collision day but did not meet the criteria to trigger an alert.
It was stated that the accuracy of this data entry could not be validated by a qualified person accessing records.
The court heard that it took over two hours to resolve the smart motorway issue after the collision.
The first call to Thames Valley Police regarding the stranded vehicle happened at 8:37am on March 7th, shortly followed by a notification to the highway authority at 8:41am.
A collision occurred six minutes after the Nissan stopped in the fast lane.
O'Sullivan was traveling at speeds between 74mph and 80mph in the fast lane just before the crash.
He told the court that he did not perceive the stationary Nissan as a hazard and initially thought it was moving.
"When I saw the vehicle, I didn't perceive it to be a hazard... I realised I'm gaining on this vehicle really fast, then I went to slam the brakes on and then before I knew it the collision happened," O'Sullivan said.
He has pleaded not guilty to causing death by careless driving.
The trial continues.