Somerset County Council is backing a major new campaign aimed at younger drivers to raise awareness of the dangers of excessive speed on rural roads.
It comes as new figures show a quarter of incidents involving fatalities or serious injuries on Somerset’s rural roads involve younger drivers.
The new online campaign focuses on a young driver eager to meet up with friends and underlines key messages around taking care, reducing speed and respecting the road layout, particularly on rural roads.
Somerset County Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Digital, Cllr Mike Rigby said: “We have a large number of rural roads across the county and we know that younger drivers in particular are more likely to take risks.”
“This is about getting drivers to think about the potential for a serious collision if they don’t take care. We all know what it’s like to be young and suffering from fear of missing out (FOMO), if our friends are waiting for us, but the message is clear, it’s just not worth taking risks with speed.”
Visit Somerset Road Safety to find out more about initiatives and courses. If you spot a problem on the road you can report it quickly and easily by visiting here.