Many people will be surprised to hear that you are more likely to be involved in a road traffic accident if you are driving down a country lane than on our motorway network. This is despite the fact that you are probably driving faster on the motorway than on a B road through scenic countryside.
The Department of Transport run the THINK! campaign and they have done some research that reveals you are 11 times more likely to be killed due to being involved in an accident in your car on a country road than you are to die in a motorway accident. In fact, sadly, an average of three people are killed on roads in the UK countryside every day – that is 60% of deaths happening on our country roads. In 2013, there were 9,104 serious injuries and 1,070 deaths on such roads.
The Government has just released a new campaign to bring to people’s attention how dangerous it is to drive on country roads.
So, what can you do to reduce the possibility of being involved in a road traffic accident whilst at the wheel of your car when you are enjoying a Sunday jaunt in the countryside?
The first thing to do is to make sure that you keep within the speed limit for driving on the road you are on bearing in mind that the maximum legal speed limit quoted is not necessarily the speed you should be travelling at – adjust your speed to suit the conditions. Did you know that 60mph is the maximum national speed limit for driving a car that is not towing a caravan or trailer on single carriage roads?
One of the reasons why country roads are more dangerous to drive on than motorways is because you have sharp bends on them whereas motorways tend to be straighter. You tend to have a clearer view ahead of you on the motorway enabling you to take evasive action more quickly. Therefore, when driving in the countryside, you should look ahead and brake before coming to a potential hazard like a bend or a hidden dip in the road so that you are travelling at a reasonable speed when negotiating the bend or dip.
Just because you regularly travel on a country road, don’t get complacent. The conditions could frequently vary.
If the road is wet or slippery perhaps due to rain or a heavy frost overnight then slow down in case you have to stop suddenly.
Beautiful as the countryside is with tree-lined roads and bushes, they can block the view that you have of the road ahead and, possibly, an approaching hazard so adjust your speed accordingly to give you more time to react.
Only overtake slow moving vehicles such as tractors when it is safe to do so and give cyclists, ramblers and horse riders a wide berth when going by them at a reduced speed.
We hope that the above has given you “food for thought” and should you require car, bike or van insurance give the team a call on 02380 268351.
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