Home Menu Search

Reckless rural driving

9 July 2007

Reckless rural driving is putting lives at risk, with motorists aged under 25 most to blame, it was revealed today.

A third of these young drivers admit taking bends at speed, a fifth drive faster than is safe and two-thirds break speed limits, a survey showed.

The survey from Autoglass and RoadSafe showed two-thirds of the 3,000 annual road deaths occur on rural roads yet two-thirds of young drivers seem unaware of the risks they take on country lanes.

Survey results

Based on responses from 1,550 motorists, the survey showed:

  • A third of motorists falsely believe they are at more risk of an accident on an urban road;
  • 69% of men admit driving above the speed limit on a rural road and 18% say they have driven faster than was safe;
  • 42% of all drivers aged 18-24 have taken a bend at speed on a rural road;
  • Slow-moving traffic on rural roads - such as tractors, caravans and cyclists - make 60% of drivers annoyed but just 10% admit that this affects their driving;
  • 45% believe that the national speed limit should be reduced on rural roads, with 18% saying that it should be cut to 50mph;
  • 86% of motorists believe young drivers should receive more practical experience of country/rural roads when learning to drive.

July and August are the peak months for rural road crashes and one in four male drivers killed or seriously injured on rural roads is under the age of 25.

Rural road hazards

Autoglass managing director Nigel Doggett said: "Less traffic on rural roads compared with urban roads and motorways often leads people to think that they are safer to drive on. But rural roads have their own very unique hazards."

"Combine this with accelerated speeds and the time that a driver has to react is significantly shortened. This is where manoeuvres such as overtaking at speed and on a bend become a serious risk and could be putting lives in danger."

Adrian Walsh at RoadSafe said: "We need to educate drivers themselves, especially among young people, to try and change their driving behaviour."

"Much more needs to be done with young drivers and we need to radically rethink how we prepare them for driving."

www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=26349

Related news, events and information

Country Roads Campaign

25 October 2015 – Three people died on country roads every day last year, according to figures released by the Department for...

Male Drivers Take More Risks

1 November 2006 – Male drivers are more than twice as likely as women to assume good road conditions are safer and then take...

Department for Transport launches latest THINK! campaign

11 October 2014 – The Department for Transport has launched its latest THINK! road safety campaign today to warn drivers of the...

Drug driving problem among young drivers

26 September 2023 – The survey conducted by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart found almost a third (32%) of young drivers (up to...

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...

A new pay as you drive insurance scheme for young drivers reduces crashes by 20 per cent

1 October 2006 – In-car GPS devices allow Norwich Union to build the insurance policy around each individual motorist. Customers...

Drivers speed to keep to schedules

7 February 2014 – Fleet News reports that a survey of motorists in Britain, France, Germany and Spain conducted by Mix Telematics...

Rural 40 limit speed limit

1 August 2006 – Road safety group, the Association of British Drivers, has suggested a new survey from insurers Direct Line...

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...