Saving Lives on Rural Roads
Half of all road deaths in the European Union happen on rural roads. What are governments doing to address this toll? Jenny Carson and Maria Meinero, authors of a recent report published by the European Transport Safety Council, on how the dream of the open road doesn’t have to turn into a nightmare.
In 2022, some 10,000 people died on the rural roads of Europe – more than half of all road deaths. Rural roads can be dangerous, compared to other road types. They often lack central and side barriers and allow for large speed and weight differentials between the vehicles that use them, from lorries to vulnerable cyclists and pedestrians. Single-vehicle crashes, where a fatigued driver misjudges a turn and runs off the road, are common. Head-on collisions frequently occur, and are often lethal.
By following the principles of the Safe System, countries and regions across Europe are making substantial improvements. In a recent report, ETSC examined progress in reducing deaths on rural roads across Europe over the last decade. And with help from our panel of experts, we looked at some remarkable interventions that are saving lives. France, Spain and the Belgian region of Flanders have reduced the speed limit across their entire rural road networks. Sweden has invested heavily in ‘2+1’ roads, which introduce a central barrier and a safety-first design. In Scotland, experiments with special road markings for motorcyclists to guide them through sharp turns, have achieved remarkable results. In the West Pomerania region of Poland, 800 km of high-quality cycle routes have been built in five years.
So with political leadership, and the appropriate investment of time and resources, even small changes, can make a big difference.
What the data show
In the last decade, the number of rural road deaths in the EU decreased by 25%. The number of deaths on other road types decreased more slowly, by 18% over the same period. These reductions leave us far from the EU target, inspired by Vision Zero, of a 50% reduction in road deaths by 2030 compared to 2019 and the EU aspiration of zero road deaths by 2050.
On rural non-motorway roads with speed limits between 70km/h and 80km/h, between 53% and 82% of car and van speed observations in free-flowing traffic were within the speed limit in 2022. On rural roads with speed limits between 90km/h and 110km/h, between 43% and 88% of cars and vans speed observations in free-flowing traffic were within the speed limit in 2022.
On average across the EU27, 56% of people killed on rural roads are car passengers or drivers, 20% are motorcycle riders or passengers, 9% are pedestrians and 8% are cyclists. The three most common collision scenarios on rural roads are collisions where the main opponent is a car, a (light or heavy) goods vehicle, or where no other vehicle is involved. Single-vehicle collisions tend to be underreported compared to multiple-vehicle collisions. Single bicycle collisions are particularly prone to underreporting in police records.
Rural road infrastructure
Shortcomings in infrastructure are a contributory factor in many collisions on rural roads. Some of the most common unsafe features of rural road infrastructure include a lack of separation between the different directions of traffic and between motorised traffic and pedestrians or cyclists, obstacles in the roadside area, as well as inappropriate curve design.
The EU Road Infrastructure Safety Management (RISM) Directive requires governments to carry out regular road safety audits, identify high-risk sites and prioritise safety when building new roads. The revised directive which came into force in 2019 has extended the scope of the original legislation to include all motorways, primary roads and roads outside urban areas that have received EU funding.
In addition, a new network-wide road safety assessment has been introduced and the requirements to protect vulnerable road users have been strengthened.
A well-designed rural road should have separate lanes or paths for slow traffic meaning interaction between cars and trucks etc. and slow traffic only occurs at intersections. Self-explaining and self-enforcing roads aim to prevent road users from driving at inappropriate speeds. They also seek to prevent driving errors and aim to prevent motorists from committing traffic offences across the whole road network.
A matter of speed
Exceeding the speed limit is by far the most recorded road traffic offence and speeding remains a problem on rural roads. Most countries with a significantly lower road mortality rate than the EU average apply 70 km/h or 80 km/h standard speed limits on rural roads.
According to the Safe System approach, safe speed limits on rural roads without a median barrier should not be higher than 70 km/h and not higher than 100 km/h on roads with median and side barriers. The design of these roads should also match a credible speed limit.
A combination of mobile roadside police checks together with automated enforcement, including mobile and fixed cameras, as well as time-over-distance cameras, has proved to be an effective tool in addressing speeding, also on rural roads.
Walking and cycling
Road cycling in rural Ireland
Darrin Laing, Shutterstock
Walking and cycling are valuable modes of transport in rural areas but are also leisure and tourism activities. Obstacles to bicycle use in rural areas include a lack of safe cycling routes, longer distances and uphill stretches. The impact on rural road safety of the rise in the use of electric bicycles should also be considered given that cyclists on electric bicycles tend to travel further and faster than those on traditional bicycles. It is important to design infrastructure that more effectively separates cyclists from faster-moving traffic and also to reduce the relative speed between the different road users.
Pavements tend to be lacking in villages in rural areas. In addition, risks are highest on rural roads where there are few pedestrians and no separation or protection from fast-moving traffic. And yet, research has shown that rural citizens still walk for at least 19% of their trips. The provision of quality rural pedestrian infrastructure, including pavements separated from the road, can and should address these issues.
Safe routes to school
Informing pupils of safe routes to school and developing a school mobility plan is a measure schools can adopt to make travelling to school safer, including in a rural context.
Painted road sign outside of a village school in Pinet, France
Pierre Jean Durieu, Shutterstock
Safer cars, vans, and lorries
From July 2024, technologies such as automated emergency braking (AEB) and intelligent speed assistance (ISA) will be mandatory on all new vehicles sold in the EU and will help improve road safety on all road types. Governments and speed data providers should ensure that speed limit maps are comprehensive and regularly updated.
Mandatory automated emergency calling systems known as eCall are especially useful in a rural context where an unconscious driver may not be seen by others who can raise the alarm. Legislation for the fitment of eCall on motorcycles should also be prioritised.
Conclusion
Rural roads can and are being made safer with interventions that do not need to be costly. Road safety audits, analysis and subsequent treatment of high-risk sites, setting and enforcing appropriate speed limits, creating separated paths for cyclists and walkers, and removing obstacles at the roadside; are just a few examples of what can and should be done. With increasing focus on urban road safety, it is critically important that policymakers do not forget rural roads where half of road deaths occur.
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About the authors:
Jenny Carson joined the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) in 2020 and works on both the PIN and PANACEA projects. She has worked on EU policy since 2000 and previously worked at the East of England Brussels Office.
Maria Meinero joined the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) in 2021 and works on the PIN project. She has previously worked at the European Commission and Insurance Europe.
AustralianCamera, Shutterstock