Car users are three times more likely to die on a country road than an urban one, according to new figures. Straight runs, less traffic and fewer pedestrians can make drivers think it is safe to speed, the government says.
Last year 1,256 people died on rural UK roads, with 325 deaths caused by driving too fast for the conditions.
The statistics show the South East had most rural road fatalities, with 188 deaths, followed by eastern England (165) and the East Midlands (158).
North East 44 North West 97 Yorks/Humber 116 East Midlands 158 |
West Midlands 112 East 165 South East 188 London 8 |
South West 134
Launching a safety campaign, THINK! rural speed, (The campaign will run until March 2008) targeting rural drivers, the Department for Transport said there was often only one car involved in rural accidents.
This made it likely that drivers had been tempted to push themselves or their car beyond their limits, the DfT said.
Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: "Driving on rural roads can be deceiving. It is important that motorists drive with as much care on a rural road as they would in a more built-up area. The 'national' 60mph speed limit is a maximum, not an expectation, and drivers must match their speed to the road characteristics and weather conditions they are experiencing."
One-fifth of the country's rural roads are in the south west. Cornwall 's Road Safety Unit warned: "Conditions and characteristics can be unpredictable."
THINK! will specifically target car drivers as they are driving on rural roads to bring the issue of driving inappropriately for the rural road environment to the front of their mind.
Driving inappropriately for the conditions can include approaching a bend or junction too fast and without caution, not negotiating narrow roads properly or overtaking on an approach to a bend or where forward visibility is restricted.
Wailim Wong of the Government News Network South West contacted Cornwall Advanced Motorists and arranged for one of our Observers, Mike Best, to be accompanied on a demonstration drive by an ITV camera crew. The drive was filmed and appeared as a local news item.
3/10/2007