Driving on Country Roads

Driving on country roads can often challenge even the most experienced driver. Taking bends on rural roads can be difficult at times, but as long as you drive safely, you shouldn't have too many problems!

Take Care

Country roads are often narrow and of lower quality than roads in urban areas. This is particularly the case in remote areas, as the roads will be resurfaced less often and in some cases, it may be almost impossible to get the necessary vehicles in to improve the road quality. The uneven road surface usually means that there will be less grip on the road, which makes an accident even more likely if you are travelling at speed or not paying enough attention.

You should take particular care while driving in the dark, as country roads won't necessarily be well lit or have adequate road markings.

Look out for Other Road Users

In rural areas, there may be pedestrians, horse riders or cyclists in and around the road. It can be difficult to see them if they approach you from behind, especially at junctions. When overtaking cyclists or motorcyclists, allow plenty of room. Do the same for horse riders, and don't sound your horn if they don't move out of the way immediately, as this is likely to scare the horse. If there are two or more horse riders, it may indicate that one of the horse riders is lacking in experience (the other horse rider(s) may be escorting them). If this is the case, they will often be travelling in two abreast. Keep an eye on the horse riders as they will signal to you if they need you to slow down more or stop. To overtake them, go slowly and leave plenty of room so that you don't scare the horse(s).

Single-Track Roads

In some rural areas, there may be single-track roads that are only wide enough for one vehicle at a time. Travelling in single file is a must as there simply isn't enough room to do otherwise. Overtaking other vehicles is pretty much impossible, but most single-track roads have passing places located at fairly regular intervals that you can pull into to let through vehicles that are coming in the opposite direction. You may need to reverse to get into a passing place.

Animals on the Road

There is an added risk of animals straying into the road in rural areas. If you come across this situation, brake slowly and don't be tempted to swerve around them as sudden movements can scare animals. Sound your horn once and flash your lights once. This will usually prompt the animal(s) into wandering to either side of the road, but repeated beeping or flashing can make them panic.

Slow-Moving Traffic

You are likely to come across slow-moving vehicles, such as tractors. If the road is not a single-track road and overtaking is possible, take care when trying to do so as the vehicles can be much longer than they first seem.