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There are significantly more deaths on rural roads in Yorkshire and the North east than urban routes which have much more traffic, according to new research.
NFU Mutual, the Department for Transport and vulnerable road user groups have renewed calls to respect rural roads to reduce the annual toll amid fears the figures will rise over the next few years.
Collating the most recent figures available from the Department for Transport, a new report by NFU Mutual has found that in 2021, there were 45 per cent more fatalities on the North East’s rural roads (which incorporates Yorkshire) than on urban roads.
A further breakdown of the figures shows that equated to 125 deaths on the region’s rural roads compared to 86 on urban routes.
The national picture shows the same trend, with across the UK, there being 70 per cent more fatalities (981) than urban roads (576), despite rural roads seeing 35 per cent fewer vehicles per day.
Traffic is still said to be well below pre-lockdown levels so the NFU Mutual is calling on the public to act now to prevent “rocketing” rural road deaths.
NFU Mutual is running the Rural Road Safety campaign, which is backed by the Department for Transport (DfT), British Cycling and the British Horse Society to raise awareness of the unique hazards of rural roads and support all road users to reduce road casualties.
Jade Devlin, Rural Roads Specialist at NFU Mutual, said: “These latest figures confirm our fears that an increase in rural road traffic has resulted in an increase in the number of fatalities and casualties on countryside roads – with vulnerable road users generally bearing the brunt of it.
“NFU Mutual analysis also shows that in the past four years, over 4,000 people have been killed on rural roads, compared to just under 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.”
Vulnerable road users like cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians are more likely to be killed or seriously injured on rural roads per miles travelled than drivers and their passengers – but cyclist deaths were down on 2020 as fewer miles were completed, the report adds.
Motorcyclists completed a billion miles on rural roads in 2021, an increase of 100m on the previous year but this was accompanied by 225 motorcyclist deaths on rural roads in 2021 – 22 per cent more fatalities than 2020. In the North East, 30 motorcyclists lost their lives on rural
According to the British Horse Society, there were 2,943 road incidents involving horses in 2021 – an increase of more than 200 per cent from 2020.
Since 2010, 44 horse riders have lost their lives and 1453 have been injured. More than 500 horses have lost their lives in the same period.
Alan Hiscox, Director of Safety at the British Horse Society, said: “Due to an increasing number of vehicles and the speed at which they travel, rural roads are becoming more challenging for horse riders. You only have to look at the figures; in 2021 at least one horse was killed every week on UK roads.
“While most riders would prefer not to ride on roads, the lack of off-road access means using rural roads has become a necessity. It is, therefore, more important than ever that drivers are considerate when passing horses, as well as thinking about how they look at and empathise with riders.”
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