The third webinar in Project EDWARD’s 2025 speed management series will focus on tackling the disproportionate dangers on rural roads.
The most hazardous part of the road network, rural roads account for 70% more fatalities than urban roads and carry around four times the likelihood of death per collision.
Statistics from NFU Mutual reveal that one in 31 rural road collisions results in a fatality, compared with just one in 122 for urban areas, underlining the urgent need to re-examine speed management and safety strategies in rural settings.
Unlike urban environments, rural roads carry a mix of fast-moving cars, large agricultural and commercial vehicles, as well as vulnerable road users such as cyclists, walkers and horse riders. These groups share the same confined space, often with little margin for error when incidents occur.
Contributing risk factors include:
- national default speed limits applied to unsuitable road layouts
- narrow and uneven lanes with sharp blind corners
- visibility issues caused by alternating shade, glare, overhanging trees, poor signage, or absent street lighting
- widespread maintenance challenges, from potholes to roadside debris, with repairs often long overdue
- safety enforcement is further restricted by limited police visibility and resources.
Unlike urban roads, rural environments typically lack protective infrastructure such as crash barriers, dedicated cycle paths or other design features that can help prevent serious collisions.
Project EDWARD’s webinar will bring together key stakeholders from across the road safety and enforcement sectors to consider practical solutions, share best practice and highlight policies that can reduce speed-related risks in rural areas.
Taking part will be:
- Dafydd Llywelyn, Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner
- Mark Bromhall, NFU Mutual Insurance
- Sean Maher, Quartix
The webinar takes place on Wednesday 17 September at 11am, with registration now open.
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