DemsMaShoes
LE

I can't see the issue in using the hard shoulder as a running lane in heavy traffic when congestion has brought the speed down to 30 or 40mph in the other lanes. Almost every time i've seen a vehicle stopped in lane 1 it's either been a woman with a flat tyre, people swapping details after a very minor bump or some clapped out POS that's not seen a service since Brookside was on TV - why not drive to the next refuge instead of stopping in the middle of the motorway?
I think it's another example of how we refuse to hold people accountable for their actions. Not my fault I was on the phone/tailgaiting/looking out the window and didn't look where I was driving, it was the fault of someone else (i.e. the road designer).
With my limited driving experience I understand, in certain situations, a vehicle will just cease to function. Driving on to the next "safe haven" is not always an option.
With a hard shoulder there is a chance, at least, of getting off the live carriageways.
Your description of "situations" is simplistic. You can be driving correctly, maintaining safe distances, when presented with a stationary vehicle previously hidden by a truck some 100 yards in front of you. Regardless of your super power reactions and physics defying brakes, you will not be able to stop ( distance required at 70mph is circa 120 yards ) and have nowhere to go.