Rural readiness
Rural roads present ‘distinct and varied hazards’
According to NFU Mutual’s latest analysis of Department for Transport data, fatalities on Britain’s rural roads in 2023 were 70% higher than those on urban roads. Collisions in rural areas are also around four times more likely to result in death.
NFU Mutual notes that countryside roads present distinct and varied hazards, often unlike those found in urban settings, and demand a unique set of driving skills and heightened awareness.
These common hazards include:
- Higher speed limits
- Changing speed limits
- Blind corners, junctions or field entrances
- High-speed corners and junctions
- Narrow carriageways and single lanes with no hard shoulders
- Poor road condition
- Overgrown verges





