'It's unacceptable' - Shropshire MP calls for Government to act as rural road fatalities outpace motorways tenfold
The number of deaths on rural roads compared to motorways is "unacceptable", a Shropshire MP has said.
More than 1,000 people die on rural roads each year - 10 times the fatality rate on motorways - according to road safety charity, Brake.
Between November 16 and 22, more than 3,000 schools, organisations and communities have taken part in the charity's Road Safety Week campaign.
Across the UK, 1,671 people died on the roads last year, with a further 28,804 seriously injured. In 2024, 56 people were killed and 516 seriously injured in road traffic collisions across West Mercia.
That included 19 fatalities and 528 casualties within the Shropshire Council area, while a further three people were killed and 40 seriously injured in Telford & Wrekin.
South Shropshire MP Stuart Anderson launched his own road safety campaign in August last year, saying he is "determined to change" the fatality rate on rural roads and calling on the Government to prioritise rural roads in its upcoming Road Safety Strategy.
In response to a written parliamentary question from Mr Anderson in February, roads minister Lilian Greenwood said the Department for Transport was still developing the strategy. Several months on, it has yet to be published, prompting renewed calls from the MP for it to be prioritised.
Stuart Anderson MP said: "I welcome the return Road Safety Week. Organised by Brake, their valuable campaign shines a vital spotlight on the urgent need to improve road safety.
"The rural roads fatality count, which remains 10 times as many deaths as on motorways, is unacceptable. That is why I launched my campaign to improve rural road safety last year.
"As part of my campaign, I urged Ministers to make rural road safety a key priority in its Road Safety Strategy. Almost a year on, I am disappointed that the Road Safety Strategy has still not been published.
"That is why I have called for its publication to be prioritised and include a particular focus on making tangible improvements in rural areas like South Shropshire."
Brake warned that mud, leaves and other debris commonly found on rural roads can greatly increase stopping distances in wet or icy conditions, leaving speeding drivers unable to react in time to avoid hazards.
A Brake and Direct Line survey found that 68 per cent of drivers think it is acceptable to exceed the speed limit on rural roads, while 48 per cent admitted driving faster than the limit on single-carriageway rural routes in the past year.
