Leading racing drivers Gordon Shedden, Aiden Moffat and Joe Tanner took a pit stop at the Knockhill Circuit today, to support the new campaign from the Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland (part of Transport Scotland), which urges drivers to watch their speed on country roads.
Country roads account for the largest number of fatal accidents on Scotland’s roads – over half (55%)1. Last year alone 755 people were killed or seriously injured whilst driving on country roads2 and three out of four of those were men3.
Loss of control is the biggest cause of deaths on country roads, frequently associated with driving too fast for the conditions and leaving too little time to react to unpredictable road conditions and hazards.
This year’s Country Roads campaign includes a new advert which follows a fictional character losing control of his car on a country road with devastating consequences. The emotional campaign is particularly targeted at young male drivers aged 22-40 who have a higher risk of being involved in a crash, and focuses on what they would miss if they weren’t around, with the strapline: “Don’t miss what’s round the corner. Watch your speed on country roads.”
BTCC driver Aiden Moffat said:
“I’m supporting the Country Roads campaign as a friend of mine, who is a good and experienced driver, lost control on a country road corner and had a very lucky escape. His seat snapped and the wheel came through the floor. Fortunately he hit the tyre otherwise he may not have been so lucky. It doesn’t matter how good a driver you are, you need to drive at an appropriate speed, especially on country roads which are very unpredictable.”
Minister for Transport and Islands Derek Mackay said:
“We are committed to achieving safer road travel in Scotland for everyone and clearly we are heading in the right direction. However we still have a long way to go, particularly with younger male drivers. This campaign encourages motorists in Scotland to drive at an appropriate speed for the conditions, particularly on country roads as there is a higher proportion of fatalities in rural areas.
“We know the risks are associated with inappropriate and excessive speeds, which is why Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020 has speed as one of its priorities and includes a variety of measures to tackle the problem.
We have been making good progress, but there is still more to be done to help reduce fatalities on our roads.”
The campaign is running throughout Scotland across multiple channels including TV, cinema, outdoor, radio, digital advertising, PR and field and partnership.
For more information log onto dontriskit.info or check out the Road Safety Scotland Facebook and Twitter (@roadsafetyscot) pages. The new ad is available to view at https://youtu.be/yJtTgTWUtQY.