Do you often ignore the warning signs on smart motorways? If you do, you could soon find yourself with an automatic fine and points on your license. 
Thanks to new Home Office legislation being introduced on 10th June 2019, police will be able to punish drivers who drive ignore warnings and drive in closed lanes on smart motorways. 
 
You will probably have already seen the red ‘X’ signs on smart motorways, but new traffic cameras will mean that anyone caught driving in those lanes will be slapped with a £100 fine and three points on their license. 
 
Research from the RAC suggests that there are still lots of motorists ignoring the signs, but it’s not clear whether that is deliberate or not. 
 
The signs are commonly used to indicate a closed lane due to a vehicle that has broken down. 
 
At present, motorists caught using these lanes by a police officer only face a fine, but from 10th June penalty points could also be dished out. 
 
According to Highways England, the cameras will be in use later this summer. 
 
The takeaway from this blog post? As soon as you seen a red ‘X’ sign, move over into an open lane safely. 
 
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