Male drivers are more than twice as likely as women to assume good road conditions are safer and then take dangerous risks, according to a new national survey. Figures also revealed that in 2005 more people died on rural roads in the South East than in any other area of England, and more than the total for Scotland and Wales put together.
A poll of 1,500 drivers by YouGov for the THINK! road safety campaign revealed that men are less inclined than women to consider road conditions when driving on rural roads and almost a quarter believe it is acceptable to speed when they think it safe to do so.
However, while male drivers may think that less traffic and fewer pedestrians on rural roads mean they're safer, the reality is that, per mile, you are three times more likely to die in an accident on a rural road than an urban one.
In 2005, 1,336 car drivers and passengers were killed on rural roads compared with 339 on urban roads, of which the vast majority (71%) were men. 240 fatalities on rural roads in 2005 occurred in the South East region, accounting for nearly 18% of the total number of fatalities.
A new THINK! rural speed advertising campaign to remind motorists to drive carefully on rural roads is being launched by the Department for Transport.
Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman said: "Driving on rural roads can be deceiving. It is important that motorists approach rural roads cautiously and at a speed where you can still respond to conditions such as unforeseen hazards, sharp bends and limited visibility.
"Remember, the national 60mph speed limit should not be seen as a target on rural roads, as it is very possible to drive at an inappropriate speed whilst within the speed limit."
The survey also showed that male drivers were quick to blame other road users (38%) as the main cause of their near misses or accidents on rural roads. However, Department for Transport statistics show that 36% of car user fatalities on rural roads are single vehicle accidents where no other vehicle or pedestrian were involved.
David Frost, Press & PR Officer for LARSOA (Local Authority Road Safety Officer Association) said: "It's an often lethal misconception that rural roads are safer. Motorists should be aware that if they are in a collision on an isolated stretch of road, help may not be immediately at hand and that could mean the difference between life and death. We urge people to choose life by driving carefully for the conditions."
Other rural road survey findings: * Male drivers more readily find driving over the speed limit acceptable compared to females, particularly when driving:
- On open roads with few cars (32% v 19%)
- When weather conditions are good (26% v 15%)
- On familiar roads (20% v 11%)
- Where there are no pedestrians around (17% v 12%)
* One in five men admitted to usually driving over the speed limit on rural roads, compared to 8% of women
* A fifth of males only consider themselves to be speeding when they are driving over 10mph over the national speed limit of 60mph
* One in four people living in cities think they are more likely to have an accident on an urban road yet one in three (31%) have had an accident or near miss on a rural road
The THINK! rural road survey was carried out in October 2006 by YouGov on behalf of the THINK! road safety campaign. It polled 1,526 drivers representative of the Great Britain adult population (18+).
2005 Rural road statistics: * 45% of accidents resulting in someone being killed or seriously injured occurred on rural roads
* Per mile, you are three times more likely to die in an accident on a rural road than an urban one
* The majority of accidents on rural roads occurred in fine weather and an equal number occurred during the day
* From all single vehicle accidents (with no pedestrians) in 2005, 73% of fatalities were on rural roads
* In 2005 there were 323 car user fatalities from accidents where cars were exceeding the speed limit orgoing too fast for conditions as a contributory factor on rural roads (these fatalities are only from the cars that were speeding or going too fast for conditions. Please note, all contributory factor statistics only include those where a police officer was present at the scene of an accident)
Fatal car user casualties on rural roads by government office region: GB 2005 Government office region - No. of fatalities London: 5
North East: 41
West Midlands: 97
Wales: 97
Yorkshire/Humberside: 110
North West: 130
Scotland: 136
East Midlands: 145
South West: 155
Eastern: 180
South East: 240
England: 1,103
Total: 1,336
Related Linkswww.dft.gov.uk www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/slowdown/slowdown.htm
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