Home Menu Search

Rural Driving risk

10 February 2012

Road Safety Analysis, specialists in examining road casualty trends, has published new evidence to show that risk levels for young drivers varies according to where they live. The key finding of the report issued on 10 February shows that rural young drivers are 37% more likely to be involved in an injury collision than their urban counterparts. A table comparing risk of collision involvement each year by local authority area also shows the risk rate for young drivers living in each area.


Young drivers throughout the country are already more likely to be involved in a crash with 30% of all motor vehicle drivers involved in collisions  aged between 16 and 29 years old, yet this age group only made up 18% of the population .  This report calculates that young rural drivers are two-thirds more likely to be involved in an injury collision than their older neighbours.


One of the biggest factors in the elevated risk profile is the much higher average annual mileages driven by rural drivers with 31% more miles driver per person than their urban counterparts. This increased exposure, combined with their relative inexperience compared to older drivers, is a signal to rural local authorities and police forces that special attention needs paying to this subject.


The report also considers the level of deprivation and whether this is a factor in young driver crashes.  This was not found to be the case in Rural areas, although it is something seen in large town and cities.  Other analysis within the report compares vehicle types involved in crashes, road type, and speed limits.
 

One further piece of analysis carried out was to rank young driver risk bases on residency in each of the 379 local authority areas in Great Britain.  This was then used to create a map showing regional hotspots and is included at the end of this release along with the best and worst performing areas.


With the help of this sort of information, Local Authorities can develop a much better understanding of the risks experienced by their residents and road users, helping them to address the inequalities that many people are experiencing.


For a copy of the full results including a breakdown of casualty rates for all 206 highway authorities is available here.

Related news, events and information

Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast

10 June 2013 – A new study, Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast, Understanding the risks of living and driving in the countryside...

Graduated Driver Licensing - Casualty Savings

1 June 2014 – Graduated Driver Licensing: a regional analysis of potential casualty savings in Great Britain: RAC Foundation...

Experience counts in the drive for safer roads

29 November 2012 – Older drivers are as safe as drivers from all other age groups, according to research published by the IAM...

Annual RAC Report on Motoring highlights generational divide among motorists

21 July 2009 – One in four young drivers has been in a car when they believed the driver was under the influence of drugs -...

Study confirms benefits of graduated driver licensing

14 October 2022 – Graduated driver licensing (GDL) can improve road safety whilst having minimal impact on new drivers' access to...

New report on crash costs to society

12 October 2016 – Evaluating the costs of incidents from the public sector perspective is a new policy paper from IAM RoadSmart...

Rural roads – what are the dangers, and how can we make them safer?

3 July 2020 – The Road Safety GB Conference Rural Roads - what are the dangers and how can we make them safe? will take place...

New report confirms young driver risk

20 July 2012 – Key findings of a report, 'Young Drivers at Risk', issued by the AA Charitable Trust and the Make Roads Safe...

Government campaign highlights hidden dangers of speeding on rural roads

4 October 2007 – You are three times more likely to be killed on a rural road than an urban one whilst in a car warns a...