Rural roads remain significantly deadlier than urban roads, with 70% more fatalities occurring in the countryside than in urban areas last year.
In 2021, there were 981 incidents on rural roads compared to 576 in urban areas, despite rural roads seeing more than a third (35%) fewer vehicles in a given 24-hour period.
In response to the disproportionate risk, NFU Mutual has announced the Rural Road Safety campaign, supported by the Department for Transport (DfT).
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the unique hazards of rural roads and support all road users, including agricultural traffic, to reduce road casualties.
Official figures show there were 10,471 fatalities or serious injuries on rural roads in 2021, an increase of over 1,000 – 12% - from 2020.
Within this figure, the number of people who lost their lives on rural roads in 2021 increased by 7% to 981, more than two-thirds higher than the number of people killed on urban roads during the same period.
This is despite the typical stretch of rural road seeing just 11,700 vehicles in a 24-hour period, 35% fewer than urban roads, which saw 18,100 per day during 2021.
Jade Devlin, rural roads specialist at NFU Mutual, said the figures confirmed fears that an increase in rural road traffic had resulted in an increase in the number of fatalities and casualties on countryside roads.
She said: “NFU Mutual analysis also shows that in the past four years, over 4,000 people have been killed on rural roads, compared to nearly 2,500 on urban roads.
“Rural roads are a lifeline to many isolated people and a shared space for the entire population, so this is a national tragedy which is rightly a key concern of our customers and the public at large.
“That is why, with our partners, we’re urging all road users to act now to ensure that any further increases in traffic on rural roads do not lead to a rise in tragic and avoidable deaths.”
NFU Mutual conducted an online poll to find out what motorists think of safety on rural roads, and what they see as the biggest hazards.
Almost a quarter (23%) of respondents said they had been involved in a collision or accident on a rural road.
When drivers were asked about their greatest concern when using rural roads, 36% of respondents highlighted other drivers.
Another 36% expressed concerns surrounding vulnerable road users like walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
Winding and narrow roads were a big issue for 18% of respondents and agricultural vehicles represented the greatest concern for 10% of drivers.
To tackle the issue of rural road safety, 36% of respondents wanted to see reduced speed limits on countryside roads.
A fifth of respondents called for more education for drivers visiting rural areas, while 16% asked for greater rural road safety education for rural dwellers.
