News

New survey says public underestimates dangers of rural roads

The leader of agribusiness risk with Nationwide Insurance says a new survey suggests drivers underestimate the dangers of rural roads.

Laramie Sandquist says fewer than 1 in 10 drivers view rural roads as dangerous despite them accounting for a disproportionate number of fatalities.

“They thought the rural roads were much more safer than the urban roads, but as you looked at the data, about a third of traffic goes on rural roads, and about 41% of all fatalities happening on the roadways are actually happening on rural roads,” he says.

He tells Brownfield that higher speeds, narrower roadways, wildlife, farm equipment, and other factors all add up to rural roadways requiring vigilance while behind the wheel.

“Three main areas that are causing all these crashes.”  He says, “A lot of it’s driver error, also distracted driving, and then also fatigue. We’re also finding that almost half of those folks that are dying in these incidents aren’t wearing a seat belt.”

Sandquist says drivers need to limit distractions and remain alert while traveling on rural roadways.

This week is Rural Road Safety Awareness Week.

AUDIO: Laramie Sandquist – Nationwide