TWENTY people were killed and more than 1,300 injured on single lane 60mph roads in Dorset in a three-year period.
The figures were revealed after road safety campaigners called for a review of speed limits on rural roads,
A total of 20 people died, 265 were seriously injured and 1,069 suffered slight injuries in the county between 2016 and 2018.
Road safety charity Brake and Direct Line carried out a survey of more than 1,000 drivers and discovered that six in 10 would feel unsafe travelling at the default 60mph limit on rural single-carriageway roads compared with nine in 10 saying they generally aim to drive at around the limit on roads of any kind.
Fewer than a quarter said 60mph is a safe speed for a vehicle on a road where there may be people on foot, bicycles and horses.
Nearly half of all deaths on Britain’s roads occur on rural single-carriageway roads. On average, 17 people are killed or seriously injured on these roads every day.
Most rural roads in the UK have a 60mph speed limit but these roads are often narrow with blind bends, brows and no pavements or cycle paths, with a lack of alternate routes for people on foot, bicycles or horses.
Such roads also have other hazards like the presence of animals or items in the road such as a tree branch. Overgrowing hedges and trees can obstruct visibility of the road and signs and can also present an additional danger in the event of a crash.
Even in dry weather, the stopping distance at the default 60mph limit is 73m, which is more than six double-decker bus lengths. This means that a driver travelling at the limit would almost certainly not be able to stop in time, if a cyclist on the road in front was hidden by a blind bend.
The report found that drivers either wanted, or were ambivalent, about a reduction to the default 60mph limit on rural roads, with less than one in five objecting to a reduction.
Brake campaigns director Joshua Harris called on the government to consider speed reduction measures.
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