Experiences on the Roads of India

 The highlight of the recent Member’s meeting was a talk given by Committee member Andrew Burnett about his experiences on the roads of India. The overall impression was that all rules are open to interpretation, or simply ignored most of the time. The picture which sticks in my mind is that of a family of five - Mum, Dad, 2 kids and presumably Grandma - riding a relatively small motorbike without a single helmet between them!

 

Not quite five but you get the picture

Rural Road Safety Report & Code

 NFU Mutual  have recently produced a code for driving on rural roads. The Code follows a survey that they carried out a year or so ago. 

According to NFU Mutual, collisions on rural roads are around four times more likely to result in deaths than collisions on urban roads. In 2023 the 969 rural deaths corresponded to “an average of one in every 32 collisions” being fatal — versus one in every 122 on urban roads. This prompted NFU Mutual to publish a guidance code — the Code for Countryside Roads — targeting drivers, cyclists, horse-riders, walkers and other countryside road users. 

Graphics courtesy of NFU Mutual

The Code was developed in consultation with multiple partner organisations (farming unions, safety charities and user-groups, although I don’t know whether IAM RoadSmart were involved) and with feedback from 700+ members of the public. The guidance covers safe practices tailored to rural conditions — for drivers of cars, agricultural vehicles, cyclists, horse-riders, pedestrians/runners. 

Key recommendations are: plan your journey carefully, adapt to road and weather conditions (e.g. visibility, brakes, tyres), expect narrow/winding roads, respect slower traffic (e.g. tractors), watch out for vulnerable users, and avoid distractions (like adjusting sat-nav while driving). 

You can see the Code here: Code for Countryside Roads | NFU Mutual