'Speed kills' campaign to focus on country roads risk

The campaign, organised by the Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland, which co-ordinates national road safety initiatives, features advertisements that each show a different outcome to a car journey.

Three of the four scenarios end with a fatal crash, reflecting that on average three in every four fatal road crashes in Scotland happen on country roads.

An average of 188 people have died on country roads each year for the past five years, according to government figures.

The statistics, covering the period 2004-8, show that on average one person dies every two days on a country road in Scotland.

Figures compiled for Scotland's Road Safety Framework to 2020, a set of government targets for road safety, also showed that in 2009 a fifth of drivers had a "near miss" on a country road, and more than half were travelling at a speed that was inappropriate for the road conditions.

Drivers losing control and people driving at inappropriate speeds are the most common reasons for rural road accidents and the new campaign aims to help drivers understand the dangers of driving on country roads.

The advertisements will be shown on television and in cinemas, as well as being broadcast on the radio and the internet. An interactive map has also been launched which gives further information and tips on country road driving.

Michael McDonnell, director of Road Safety Scotland, said: "Too many drivers are putting their lives at risk by driving at a speed that is wrong for them.

"On country roads speed kills because it determines how long you have, or don't have, to respond to a situation.

"This campaign urges drivers of all ages to slow down, be aware of the unpredictability of country roads and adjust their speed to the conditions."