A timely warning from NFU Mutual for you – it’s also the lambing season, so on moorland roads watch out for stray sheep;
Rural road safety campaigner NFU Mutual is urging British motorists to take care when travelling this long weekend, as claims data from the insurer shows it received over 260 collision claims last Easter.
Between Good Friday and Easter Monday in 2025, NFU Mutual members reported 266 claims for crashes with third parties, with the total damage reaching almost £2.3 million.
Many of these collisions will have been on countryside roads, which are significantly more deadly than urban roads and motorways. According to NFU Mutual’s latest Rural Road Safety Report, 956 people lost their lives on countryside roads last year – 72% more than the number of lives lost on urban roads and ten times more than the number of deaths on motorways.
The insurer and rural road safety campaigner is calling on everyone to take special care on rural roads in particular over Easter.
With an expected spike in traffic over this long weekend, and farmers in many places looking to make the most of possible favourable conditions, NFU Mutual warns that careless behaviour from any road user could result in a tragic collision.
Andrew Chalk, Rural Road Safety Specialist at NFU Mutual, said:
“The Tuesday after Easter is consistently one of the busiest days for motor insurers, with people flocking to report claims for damage caused while travelling over the long weekend.
“Rural roads are a particular danger, with data showing they are deadly when people don’t respect the unique hazards they pose. In the ten years to the end of 2024, almost 10,000 people lost their lives on rural roads in the UK.
“This danger will be particularly acute this weekend, as people across the country visit friends and family or take short breaks to new places, increasing traffic on the roads.
“We know that driving late at night or early in the morning, or in unfamiliar places, can put yourself and other road users at risk, as can driving which distractions. But equally important is to have awareness of the unique hazards of rural roads, and to adjust your driving to meet these hazards.”
As well as being the most dangerous type of road in terms of lives lost, many motorists experience collisions of various severities on rural roads. A recent survey of 2,000 motorists, conducted by OnePoll for NFU Mutual, found that almost a quarter (23%) had been involved in a collision on a countryside road, and more than a quarter (26%) felt unprepared to drive on rural roads after passing their test.
NFU Mutual is calling for greater rural road training for learner drivers and a Rural Road Safety Awareness Course for those who offend on countryside roads, but Rural Road Safety Specialist Andrew Chalk says there is a lot individuals can do to keep themselves and others safe this Easter:
“Treat the speed limit as a limit, not a target, and respect others doing the same, and make sure you slow down appropriately for junction or corners with limited visibility.
“Be aware of vulnerable road users like walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders, who may be using the Easter break to get outside and have a right to use countryside roads, and give them time and space when you do encounter them.
Finally, don’t rely too much on a sat-nav. A quarter of motorists surveyed by NFU Mutual were concerned that sat-navs directed people down unsuitable roads in the countryside, and the speed limit displayed can also mislead drivers into thinking a road is safer than it is.
“Our main advice is to respect the unique hazards of rural roads and respect your fellow users to avoid a tragic collision this Easter.”
NFU Mutual’s latest Rural Road Safety Report revealed that the East Midlands, East and South East of England saw the most rural road fatalities in 2024.
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