Roadside Safety Week 2025
Roadside Safety Week takes place between 19th November – 25th November 2025. It is an annual event dedicated to raising awareness about road safety issues, including the prevention of accidents, injuries, and fatalities on the road.
Rural roads are vital to industries like forestry which operate primarily in the rural economy and benefit those accessing the great outdoors. It is therefore all the more concerning that each year a vastly disproportionate number of lives are lost on rural roads. Vulnerable road users like people walking, cycling and riding horses continue to carry a greater risk of being involved in an accident.
In 2023, there were 70% more deaths on Britain’s rural roads in 2023 than there were on urban roads.
Collisions on rural roads are also around four times more likely to result in a fatality. Countryside roads have unique and diverse hazards which are often entirely different to those on urban roads and require a specific set of skills and awareness.
Common hazards on rural roads include:
- Changing and sometimes higher speed limits
- Blind corners, junctions or field entrances
- Narrow carriageways and single lanes with no hard shoulders
- Poor road condition
- Undulating roads
- Overgrown and soft verges
- Limited/no road lighting
- Often ungritted, with ice, compacted snow
- Affected by fog and standing water
- Mud and debris on the road
- Agricultural/wide vehicles
- Livestock and wild animals
- Vulnerable road users (e.g. people walking, cycling, riding horses or horse-drawn vehicles, or people riding motorcycles)
- Unlit parked and stationary vehicles
- Limited passing points
- Little or no road markings
When you drive on any road, before setting off you should: check tyres, brakes, lights and windscreen fluid are functioning.
Low winter sun can be particularly hazardous, always have a pair of sunglasses to reduce glare, slow down or stop if you are dazzled by sunlight. Rain, snow and ice will increase stopping distances so adjust accordingly. In icy conditions, be mindful of black ice or compacted snow which may not be visible.
Always be aware you may encounter slippery mud or leaves, particularly in wet conditions. Roads underneath or on bridges, shaded by trees and hedges, will be the first areas to freeze; and take longer to thaw in cold weather. Driving or travelling on roads at dusk or night puts greater strain on your eyes, so have regular eyesight tests and ensure you wear glasses if you require them.
Rural roads are essential to the rural economy and vehicles will need to regularly enter and exit fields. Do not park/overnight in field entrances or farm access points. On narrow lanes, passing places are needed to keep traffic flowing effectively, so only park in designated parking spots. Remember that wide vehicles may have to use these roads as well.
Vulnerable road users include walkers, motorcyclists, cyclists, horse riders, and carriage drivers. When overtaking vulnerable road users, leave at least two metres of room. Only pass when there is no traffic coming in the opposite direction. Be patient. Do not rush a vulnerable road user and keep a sufficient distance behind them before passing. Slow down as you approach a vulnerable road user.
Slow down to a maximum 10mph for horses on either side of the road and ensure you have passed them sufficiently before speeding up, accelerating slowly to avoid spooking the horse. If you cannot make the passing distance of two metres due to the width of the rural road, then wait behind the horse until you can make that distance. Dip lights when approaching a vulnerable road user on either side of the road.
Always be aware that rural roads present extra driving hazards. Ensure you adapt your driving to suit the road.
Remember, road users such as motorists, who can do the more harm, have the greater responsibility for ensuring safety.