Rural Road Safety
The Code for Country Roads has recently been created by NFU Mutual in order to encourage rural road safety. Rural roads come with some amazing views and take you to some fabulous destinations, but it is important to consider your safety when driving on them as they come with unique risks. Whether you are a seasoned rural road driver or more used to the urban landscape, here are some tips to make your driving experience safer.
Plan Your Route
If you are using a satnav, never adjust it whilst driving. Make sure you have planned your route in advance and programmed the satnav accordingly. Sat navs have a tendency to direct you down the shortest route. Make sure before you set off that it is not instructing you down more risky, small roads. Try and stick to principle roads and remember that, although the sat nav may think it is a longer route, it will probably take less time than back roads.
Drive Considerately And Remember That Speed Limits Are Not Targets
Try and keep to your side of the road, even when there are no road markings. Other vehicles might come around the corner and won’t expect you to be in the middle so bear this in mind. Also keep an eye out for possible passing places. On small roads, you may have to tuck in or reverse to pass oncoming vehicles. Make sure you are aware of this and be ready by knowing where you can pass.
Maintain a safe speed for the conditions in which you are driving. Many country roads are national speed limit but it is often not appropriate to drive at this pace. Please be sensible and considerate of others. Tail gating and dangerous overtaking can cause hazards or accidents so please allow plenty of room for the car in front and avoid overtaking on roads with no markings.
Be Aware of Countryside Residents
When approaching villages or hamlets, adjust your speed and remember that there may be animals or children. These roads often do not have pavements so people may be walking on the side of the road. Give them plenty of room and do not speed past them. Remember that farmers may move livestock on or across the roads. This can happen at any time of day so be patient and slow down around blind corners just in case. Also keep in mind that you are likely to encounter agricultural vehicles. They drive slowly and often take up a lot of the road. Only overtake them if you are certain it is safe, you can see the road clearly in front of you and there are road markings. Be patient, they will probably be turning off into an upcoming field.
This is not an exhaustive list of how you can keep yourself safe. You can read the full Code for Country Roads here.