Dangerous Driving Conditions - Country Roads

With the summer months nearly upon us thousands of Brits will take to the countryside for those leisurely summer days. This article will look at a few tips for driving on the country roads this summer to make those lazy summer days a little safer for everyone.

The problem is that a lot of the UK community live in relatively built up areas so what could be better on a hot day than getting in the car and escape from it all to the countryside?

What a lot of motorists don't realise is that the country roads are not a place to escape too and give you the freedom to put your foot down away from the hustle and bustle of town life. In fact the country roads can be a dangerous place and can hold just as many hazards as their city road opposite.

Blind corners - Most country roads are very twisty as they meander around the lush green fields that make up the great British countryside. Combined with twists in the roads is a narrowness of lane that will be unfamiliar to a motorist visiting from a town environment. Unfortunately blind corners go hand in hand with the twisty aspect of these minor roads and have the potential to be frequent accident hot spots, raising car insurance claims and therefore car insurance premiums. When approaching a blind bend be sure to reduce your speed and keep as far to your side of the road as possible, this will help reduce the risk of collision when meeting a car coming the other way and will maximise your visibility of the bend.

Hedges - Country roads are typically edged with hedgerows that can cause a problem to motorists travelling them. These hedgerows can significantly reduce a divers visibility, especially if they are overgrown. Hedgerows can also conceal things like protruding tree stumps and in conjunction with narrow lanes and the need to pull over to allow traffic to pass just be aware of where you are pulling over.

Slippery roads - With the amount of rural traffic on the road moving on and off farm land there is often a lot of mud and other debris on the road that can effect a cars grip. With this in mind a driver should be aware of the sate of the road they are travelling on in relation to stopping distances. This rural debris can make the roads very slippery especially after showers and you should adjust your speed and distance from other traffic to reduce the risk of collision and costly car insurance claims.

Vulnerable road users - You should be aware that you are not he only person that will escape to the country on a hot summers day. Along with the other motorists that have exchanged the town for country you will encountered a large amount of vulnerable road users during your day out. Cyclists and horses are very common on country roads so be aware of them around the next blind bend, give them plenty of room and only pass them when safe to do so.

Slow vehicles - The last major thing to look out for when travelling on a country road are slow moving vehicles. These can come in many different forms from caravans to farm vehicles. These machines often take up a lot of the narrow lanes on the country roads and should be given plenty of room. Be aware of slow traffic around the next bend and only overtake when safe to do so leaving plenty of room. By giving them more room you can avoid costly and time consuming car insurance claims.

The fact is that the countryside's roads are not a race track for town folk and if you take on board the few tips in this article then we can keep the countryside roads a safe place this summer.