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Motorists are nearly six times more likely to die in an accident on a
rural road than a motorway *. Now one leading car insurer is reminding
UK motorists to treat rural roads with respect when they take the car
for a spin in the countryside this summer.
Financial intermediary Admiral has to deal with around 120,000 accident
claims every year, sadly too many of these happen on country roads, especially
in the summer months. It is asking motorists to be aware of the risks
and to drive with care when they are on rural roads.
Even though they are quieter than motorways, 63 per cent of all fatalities
from road accidents happen on rural roads. The difference in the death
rate for the two types of road is just as startling, 7.44 deaths per billion
passenger kilometres for country roads compared with just 1.58 deaths
per billion passenger kilometres for motorways.
A survey by the Department for Transport found that a third of road users
thought that fewer crashes take place on rural roads than motorways. But
that simply isn't the case and Admiral is warning that complacency, speeding
and lack of attention on country roads could prove fatal.
Admiral managing director, Ceri Assiratti, commented: "Around 1,200
people die each year on British roads and there thousands more are seriously
injured. The majority of these are on rural roads. Sadly too many motorists
are oblivious to the fact that country roads are more deadly than motorways
and fail to drive accordingly.
"There are blind corners, dips in the road and uneven surfaces to
cope with, while at night there are rarely streetlights. We'd ask drivers
to drive slowly, concentrate and be ready to react to other traffic when
driving in the country."
The five most dangerous roads according to the AA Motoring Trust are
all rural. They are A682 in Lancashire, A54 in Derbyshire, A53 also in
Derbyshire, A84 in central Scotland and A59 in North Yorkshire. Between
2000 and 2003 there were 128 fatal or very serious accidents on these
roads alone.
* According to statistics from the Department for Transport
Issue date: 12-08-05
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