Drivers urged to take care on Cumbernauld and Kilsyth country roads

The driving legend is appearing in ads across Scotland urging drivers to slow down and drive carefully on country roads.

In North Lanarkshire alone there has been 131 deaths or serious casualties over the last five years on country roads. And a staggering 70% of fatalities on Scotland’s roads occur on rural roads.

However, many of the drivers killed or seriously injured could have been prevented if they adjusted their speeds to match the conditions. Last year there was over 1,000 fatal or serious accidents on country roads and three out of five of those deaths are men.

David Coulthard said: “My advice to older and younger drivers alike is to drive at an appropriate speed for the conditions and be aware of the limitations of the vehicle you are driving in. There is more to driving than just paying attention to the speed limit, you have to drive appropriately for the conditions and drive at a speed which doesn’t hinder your decision-making abilities.

‘‘The main aim of the campaign is to ultimately reduced fatalities on country roads. Sadly, too many people are killed in road accidents that could be avoided. I hope this campaign will reduce the risk of accidents on country roads and make sure it is something that doesn’t happen as frequently as it unfortunately does today.”

Transport Minister Keith Brown added: “In Scotland we currently have the lowest road casualties since records began. Fatalities are down by 11 per cent from 2010, and while even one death on our roads is one too many, there are encouraging signs of progress.

However, it’s clear that we are still seeing too many fatalities and serious injuries that are avoidable. This innovative campaign can help get that message across that even the most qualified drivers in the world, drive to the conditions on country roads. We know that male drivers make up three quarters of those killed on our roads and 70 per cent of fatal accidents happen on country roads. I hope that David Coulthard, a Formula 1 legend, can help convince them to change their dangerous driving habits.”

For more information on the campaign or where the Country Roads challenge will be attending log onto www.dontriskit.info or check out the Road Safety Scotland Facebook page.