Country roads – not as safe as you think

Reckless country driving is putting lives at risk.

Less traffic on country roads compared to urban roads and motorways often leads people to think they are safer to drive on. In reality, country roads have their own hazards and many aren’t as safe as you may think.

Sharp bends, blind summits and wildlife to name but a few. A recent survey carried out by the Institute of Advanced Motorists revealed that Scottish drivers are three times more likely to have a fatal collision on rural roads than urban ones. This shows that we need to be more vigilant when on country roads.

Interestingly, evidence points out that drivers under the age of 25 are most in danger driving on rural roads. Scarily, a third of young drivers admit to taking bends at speed, one-in-five drive faster than is safe and two-thirds break speed limits. Additionally, less-experienced drivers are more likely than other drivers to be involved in high-speed crashes, single-vehicle crashes, crashes in the dark, crashes when overtaking and crashes when negotiating bends. There is a number of reasons for this, such as lack of experience driving on country roads, over-confidence in their ability, driving too fast, peer pressure, or showing off to peers.

You never know what’s round the corner...

Michael McDonnell, director at Road Safety Scotland, commenting on country road driving says, “Our message to all drivers, but particularly young drivers, is simple - don’t risk it. You never know what might be around the corner.

“Young drivers, especially males, are most at risk on country roads and they must realise that speeding, racing or just showing off to mates could lead to consequences that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”

Expect the unexpected...

James (18) from Cupar tells of a time he came close to crashing on a country road. “Where I live we are surrounded by country roads. I was driving my girlfriend and one other friend home after the cinema one night. It was pitch black outside. I was driving at about 60mph because I wanted to get home and had two drop-offs to do first. Despite driving on these roads everyday, I forget where the bends and blind spots are. We were driving along at speed and came to a sharp bend that I didn’t foresee. Because it was dark outside, I only saw it seconds before hitting it.

“The car swerved round the bend. We flew across the road into the oncoming traffic lane and nearly went off the road. I got the fright of my life. Luckily there weren’t any other cars on the road, otherwise we could have been killed or seriously injured.

“I recently found out that the number of people in your car affects the cars performance. If I had one or two more people in the car we might not have been so lucky. I have learnt my lesson and now realise how deadly country roads can be.”

Slow down or there will be consequences...

Superintendent Pat Docherty from Strathclyde Police, urges young drivers to think twice about their driving habits before getting behind the wheel. “Day in day out, Scotland’s police officers witness the awful consequences of country road accidents. Young drivers in particular need to look at, and change, their driving behaviour before we can reduce the number of fatalities on our roads.

“Rural roads give no margin for error and inexperienced, as well as experienced, drivers must treat them with respect.”

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