Safety campaign aims to highlight dangers of driving on rural roads
A new road safety campaign, launched by THINK! aims to educate road users about the dangers associated with using rural country roads.
According to research by the Department for Transport, 60% of road fatalities occur on rural roads, and the number of people killed is almost 11 times higher than on motorways.
Research by the Department for Transport also reveals that 40% of drivers have met an unexpected hazard on a rural road, while 25% of drivers have experienced a ‘near miss’.
The campaign outlines a number of safety tips to help avoid danger on a country road, including:
• Brake before a bend, not on it.
• Allow plenty of space when overtaking cyclists and horse riders.
• Read the road ahead and anticipate potential hazards.
• Drive at a speed that allows you to stop in the distance you can see to be clear.
A new advert has been launched as part of the safety campaign, highlighting the many unforeseen hazards drivers may face on country roads. Using 3D technology, the advert allows you to ‘see through’ the bends on country roads, illustrating that if you could see these dangers in real life, you would slow down before approaching a bend.
David Robinson, RoadPeace North East Chairperson and serious injury solicitor at Thompsons Solicitors said: “Rural roads can conceal a multitude of hazards which can, in the most tragic cases, contribute towards serious and fatal road traffic collisions.
“Careless driving is too often the cause of devastating road traffic collisions, and the figures released by the DfT illustrate the tragedies that take place on rural roads every day.
“According to the DfT three people will lose their lives on rural roads today, and every single day. While this campaign will go some way in raising the issue of rural road risk, there is still much work to be done to permanently educate drivers about the risks on rural roads if we are going to see this sombre statistic come down.”
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