Driving on Rural Roads: The Current Situation

Abstract

Rural roads are the most dangerous road class in terms of the number of fatalities. The usual proportion of fatalities on rural roads is approximately 60% compared to 10% for motorways and 30% for inner urban roads (IRTAD, 2007; SafetyNet, 2007). The proportion of fatalities on rural roads has even increased over the last 25 years which reflects the comparatively successful interventions for motorways and inner urban roads (OECD, 1999). The combination of these facts underlies the high priority with which safety on rural roads should be addressed in the near future if the aims set by organisations such as the European Commission (2001) are to be met.