National rural insurer NFU Mutual has launched a new Code for Countryside Roads to improve safety on rural roads – and there's plenty in it of interest to the motorcycling community.
The Code was drawn up with contributions from farming unions and road safety groups such as the British Horse Society, and highlights the dangers that lurk in the countryside, where the roads are 70 per cent more dangerous to ride on than urban roads, according to Department for Transport figures.
Key challenges that bikers used to riding in towns and cities won’t expect, include:
- Unexpected hazards such as horses, livestock and wild animals
- Blind corners and hills
- Hidden junctions and field entrances
- Narrow carriageways
- Poor road condition, including overgrown verges spreading on to the carriageway, unrepaired pot holes and cracks, and mud and debris left by farm vehicles.
All these pose significant challenges to bikers, particularly if we are tempted to ride faster than is safe by the empty roads and the sense of freedom you can find in the countryside.
Nick Turner, chief executive of NFU Mutual, said:
"Rural roads are the arteries of our countryside, vital to the rural economy and serving to connect us all to the benefits of the great outdoors.
"But it is concerning that each year a vastly disproportionate number of lives are lost on rural roads. Vulnerable road users like people walking, cycling, motorcycling and riding horses also continue to shoulder a greater risk. Sadly, some road users are not adequately equipped to deal with the unique hazards of rural roads.
"That is why NFU Mutual has been campaigning for a number of years to improve rural road safety by raising awareness of the risks inherent to countryside roads, and why we are proud to publish this Code for Countryside Roads to provide a clear guide on how people should use rural roads."
So if we're out for a ride in the countryside this weekend, it's vital not to get carried away by what looks like an open road ahead. We need to watch our speed, prepare for the unexpected and keep our concentration sharp.
Unexpected dangers could lurk just out of sight.
Read the new code here: https://www.nfumutual.co.uk/campaigns/rural-road-safety
