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Poor road
conditions
play a key
factor in rural
road threat
Guy Annan
MSA Western
New research has proven that rural roads
are the most dangerous roads for all
users, with more than half of all fatal
crashes in Britain occurring on these
types of roads. Per mile travelled, rural
roads are the most dangerous roads for
all kinds of road user.
I thought it was timely to ask why rural
roads are dangerous for all road users, as
well as look at the most common types
of collision that take place on rural roads,
the speed limits on rural roads and
overtaking and other risky driving
behaviours.
We must start by saying that rural
roads pose high risks, accounting for well
over half of all fatal crashes. Cyclists,
motorcyclists and car drivers are more
than three times as likely to be killed per
mile travelled on a rural road than an
urban road.
Speed is often a major factor in rural
road crashes. A study of singlecarriageway
rural roads estimated that a
10 per cent increase in average speed
results in a 30 per cent increase in fatal
and serious crashes.
The most common crash types on rural
roads are collisions at junctions, head-on
collisions and running off the road.
Why are rural roads so dangerous?
Many rural roads are narrow, with
blind bends and brows and limited safe
places to pass. They often don’t have
pavements or cycle paths yet are
frequently used by some of the most
vulnerable road users, such as people
riding or walking.
Many rural roads have poor road
surface conditions and limited or no
crash protection (such as no crash
barriers either at the side or in the
middle of the road).
Traffic often includes vehicles travelling
at a wide variety of speeds, including
slow-moving farm vehicles. There may
also be animals.
Speed limits on rural roads.
Most rural roads in the UK have a
60mph limit. However, due to their use
by vulnerable road users and the design
and condition of many country roads,
60mph (or anywhere near it) is rarely a
safe speed to travel.
Rural roads frequently have debris
such as mud and leaves on the road
surface, meaning that in wet and icy
conditions stopping distances are much
greater. These factors mean that if a
driver is going too fast, they won’t be
able to react in time to people or hazards
to prevent a crash. They also mean that
if a driver is going too fast, they may lose
control and end up in the path of an
oncoming vehicle or running off the road.
Yet despite these stark threats, in a
Brake and Direct Line survey, more than
six in 10 (68 per cent) of drivers said
they feel it is acceptable to drive above
the speed limit on rural roads. Nearly
half (48%) of drivers said that they had
driven faster than the speed limit on a
single-carriageway rural road in the past
year.
Perhaps that’s why the following
sobering statistics apply:
• 10 times as many people die on
rural roads than on motorways
• Motorcyclists are more than twice as
likely to be killed on a rural road than an
urban road
• Finally, cyclists are almost three
times as likely to be killed on a rural than
an urban road.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to
make sure your pupils understand these
statistics, and if you can, get them out on
rural roads as much as possible.
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates, contact Guy at g.annan@
alphadrivingtaunton.com
‘‘
Rural roads frequently have debris such as mud and leaves on the road
surface, meaning that in wet and icy conditions stopping distances are
much greater. These factors mean that if a driver is going too fast, they
won’t be able to react in time to people or hazards to prevent a crash
‘‘
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