What the 'Safe not 60' campaign seeks to achieve

Raising awareness of rural road danger

The risk levels of rural roads are little known outside of the world of road safety - a 2019 Brake survey of 2,000 drivers found that 4 in 10 thought it most likely they would be involved in a serious crash on a motorway, compared to just 3 in 10 who thought either rural roads and urban roads.

Assessing and improving rural road safety

Rural roads in the UK should have their safety infrastructure assessed to (a) determine where the speed limit should be set (b) identify areas for infrastructure improvement.

Changing the national default speed limit on single carriageway roads

The national default speed limit for single carriageway roads is 60mph. This is far too high for a lot of these windy, narrow roads. The Government should investigate the safety benefits of lowering the default speed limit on single carriageway roads and only allowing higher speeds on rural roads which have passed a safety assessment.

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The facts

  • Per mile travelled, rural roads are the most dangerous roads for all kinds of road user, with more than half of fatal crashes in Britain occurring on rural roads.
  • The national default speed limit for single carriageway roads, the roads which are commonly referred to when using the term rural, or country, roads, is 60mph.
  • Local authorities are able to set lower speed limits, however, 60mph remains the national default, and the most common speed on these roads.
  • The lack of separation between carriageways and safety infrastructure on rural roads means 60mph is rarely, if ever, a safe speed to be travelling.

Panormama rural road

Rural roads

Rural roads are the most dangerous roads for all users

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20mph zone sign

Speed limits

Find out more about why speed limits are important for safe and healthy journeys

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