A STUDY of road traffic accidents between 2018 and 2020 has shown that rural roads are significantly more dangerous than those in urban areas.
In the South East, there were 502 rural road fatalities and 6,069 serious injuries during those two years.
Whereas on urban roads there were 209 deaths and 5,997 serious injuries.
It means that there were 140% more rural road fatalities than those on roads in built-up areas.
The average for Britain during the same period was 66% more.
A survey also revealed that 85% of motorists living in rural areas of the South East are concerned about the safety of their local roads.
In response to the findings, a new campaign to highlight safety on rural roads has been launched by insurance company NFU Mutual.
The Respect Rural Roads campaign has been backed by Department for Transport, British Cycling and The British Horse Society.
Nick Turner, CEO of NFU Mutual hopes that the campaign will make rural roads safe for everyone to use.
“A safety-first approach will help reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries,” he said.
The campaign aims to encourage all road users to respect and understand the needs of all rural road users and to make safety their top priority. Motorcyclists, horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians are the most vulnerable rural road users.
It will also raise awareness of the hazards rural roads present and behave with caution. Amongst the main causes for accidents were vehicles travelling at excessive speed and a loss of control at tight bends. Weather-related hazards such as ice and sun glare also factored.
Nick Chamberlin, policy manager for British Cycling, welcomed the campaign and said that rural roads are an asset which connect communities as well as being enjoyed for leisure.
“Roads have to be shared but it is vitally important that people cycling, walking or riding can enjoy them without fear,” he said.
For more information, visit: www.nfumutual.co.uk/campaigns/rural-road-safety
