The overall aims of this project were to identify, collate and review published research and other information relating to road accidents on rural roads, suggest how the findings may be applied to the situation in Scotland, and provide recommendations for action. The research consisted of a review of published literature, mainly from the UK but also including some international papers, on issues and topics related to rural road safety. The research found that a range of definitions are used for 'rural' and that this may hamper decision making. Main findings are: * Almost three-quarters of all fatalities on Scottish roads occur outside built-up areas. The number of fatalities on rural roads has decreased at a much lower rate than those on urban roads over the past few years. * Young drivers and motorcyclists are disproportionately involved in accidents on Scottish rural roads. * Driver behaviour factors are a key issue in rural road accidents. The main driver behaviour factors are: speed and speeding; alcohol and drug use; driver fatigue and sleepiness; and driver distraction. * The most common accident types on rural roads are: head-on; run off the road; and junction accidents. * Over 97% of Scotland's road network is single carriageway and most accidents on single carriageways occur on A roads, in 60mph speed limits away from junctions. * Single vehicle accidents account for around one third of all rural single carriageway accidents. They are most likely to occur on B or C class roads at night, on bends, and involve young drivers. * Other factors identified as contributing to rural road accidents are: wild animals (especially deer); darkness; and tourist activity. Emergency service response times in remote areas can affect the outcome of serious accidents. * Education and publicity campaigns rarely focus on rural road safety although the THINK! Campaign has recently targeted rural road safety and some campaigns from the USA and Australia have been identified, although no evaluations were found. * Driver training tends to focus on basic control skills and there is evidence to suggest that attitude rather than skill is related to crash involvement, particularly for young drivers. * Numerous engineering interventions are identified including: rural speed management; vehicle-activated signs; self-explaining roads; psychological traffic calming; safety barriers; and '2+1' layouts. (Author/publisher)
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