THINK! Campaign Reveals 60% Of Road Fatalities Linked To Rural Routes

Legal experts who specialise in helping seriously injured victims of road traffic collisions to gain justice and vital financial support to aid their recovery have described the fresh concerns raised regarding country routes as a “vital wake-up” call on rural road safety.

The Department for Transport has warned that 60 per cent of road-related deaths take place on country roads, with the number of deaths being almost 11 times higher than on motorways. Three people die every day on average on such routes, while a quarter of drivers have had a near-miss.

The figures have come as the Government’s THINK! Initiative launched a new campaign focusing on the dangers which can arise on rural roads.

Following the release of the research, specialist serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are calling on road safety bodies and motorists to work together to consider what can be done to improve safety on routes in the countryside.

Stephen Nye is a Partner at Irwin Mitchell who specialises in helping serious injury victims gain financial support which allows them to access vital rehabilitation services.

Expert Opinion

The nature of our work means we have seen massive, life-changing consequences that road traffic collisions can have, often leaving motorists, cyclists and pedestrians involved with serious long-term physical and psychological trauma which in some cases they never recover from.

"The simple, basic fact that a huge number of these serious incidents emerge on rural roads – with three people dying every day – is a shocking and vital wake-up call that action needs to be taken to tackle such figures.

"We would urge all road users to be aware of and understand the inherent risks of driving on countryside routes, taking care to ensure that their safety of themselves and other drivers is always the top priority.

"In addition, it is clear that the Government and road safety organisations should collaborate to share ideas or measures which could play a key role in improving current standards of safety. Any number of deaths on the roads is simply too many and figures of this kind only serve to demonstrate the important work that still needs to be done on this issue." Stephen Nye - Partner