Education Needed to curb Rural Road Accidents - McInnes

12.00.00am GMT Tue 16th Dec 2008

Alison McInnes MSP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Transport, has called for more education at a younger age to curb the number of avoidable rural road accidents.

A Scottish Government report looking into rural road safety has found that half of road users in rural areas were not aware of the national speed limit. In a similarly worrying trend, many of those surveyed felt that risky driving would not necessarily have result in accidents due to the low volume of traffic on rural roads.

Commenting on the report Mrs McInnes said:

"The fact that half of rural road users are not aware of the 60mph national speed limit is in line with knowledge of the highway code declining over recent years. Drivers are no longer tested as vigorously on stopping distances and road signs as in the past.

"In addition, the willingness of drivers to take risks on rural roads because they are perceived as less hazardous will send a shiver down the spine of anyone who has driven on sections of the A85.

"More education at a younger age is needed if we are to curb these worrying trends. Safe drivers are made, not born. We should integrate road safety into the core school curriculum so that the drivers of the future can be both slower and safer."

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