Driver safety on smart motorways is under review with recommendations expected within weeks, as they are "too complicated for people to use".
Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps told MPs "we know people are dying" on smart motorways but said more information is required to see how they compare to full motorways in terms of safety, and insisted he wants to ensure all motorways in the country are "as safe as they possibly can be".
His confirmation of the review comes after Highways England chief executive Jim O'Sullivan told the Transport Select Committee that smart motorways with a hard shoulder only used at busy times are
O'Sullivan went on to say there will not build any more "dynamic" smart motorways because people do not understand them.
The design is already in use on parts of the M1, M4, M5, M6, M42 and M62, report Birmingham Live.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Shapps told MPs: "The House I know is very concerned about smart motorways.
"I've heard those concerns raised today and previously and I have asked my department to carry out at pace an evidence stocktake to gather the facts quickly and make recommendations."
Shapps was pressed by Lilian Greenwood, Labour chairwoman of the committee, who asked if the review would be carried out by the Department for Transport or an independent person.
Mr Shapps replied: "I will ensure that it's the department that is making decisions on this because I think some of the statistics have been difficult to understand, and we know people are dying on smart motorways.
"Of course, we know 70 or 80 people die a year on full motorways.
"Understanding whether they are less safe, the same or safer - it turns out not to be as straightforward as members might imagine - I want all of those facts and recommendations that can be put into place to ensure that all of our motorways are as safe as they possibly can be.
"I will get this done in a matter of weeks."
There have been a series of deaths linked to smart motorways since their inception. In March, 83-year-old Derek Jacobs died when his car was hit after it stopped in the fast lane on a section of the M1 in Derbyshire. This reportedly came within months of a woman being killed on the same stretch of road after leaving a broken down car.
In May 2018 Eight-year-old Dev Naran died on the M6 when his grandfather's Toyota, which had pulled up on the hard shoulder, was struck by a lorry.
