CARMARTHENSHIRE drivers are being asked to re-think how they drive on country roads after figures show 60 per cent of all road fatalities take place on country roads. Figures have revealed that 10,091 people were seriously injured or killed in the UK in 2014 alone.
The reccurring problem that causes accidents like these are the driver suffering a loss of control, which is often accompanied with reckless driving such as driving at unsafe speeds around country bends.
Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “The number of people killed on country roads is 10 times higher than on motorways; and worryingly, a third of all fatalities on country roads happen on bends.
Country bends are often blind or partially in view, which makes it extremely difficult to predict if there is a car, bike, or even pedestrians around the corner. This danger is heightened when large oncoming vehicles such as lorries and trucks could be around the bend.
Carmarthenshire Council’s ‘THINK! Country Roads’ campaign encourages the public to drive safely on country roads by urging them to anticipate hazards that may lie ahead with the phrase ‘brake before the bend, not on it’ intending to help drivers remember safety at the wheel.
The advice for driving safely on country roads:
- Anticipate the road ahead and potential hazards.
- Drive so that if you need to brake within safe distance you can do so.
- Remain in control and give yourself plenty of time to break by ‘braking before a bend, not on it.’
- Give other country road users such as cyclists, walkers, or horse riders plenty of space when overtaking.
“The message is simple; give yourself time to react to unexpected hazards and slow down on bends. Even if you’re familiar with the road, never take it for granted as the conditions can be different every time.”
For more information and advice on driving on country roads please visit the THINK! campaign website which is run by the Council’s Department for Transport.
Add Comment