Analysis by the insurer and road safety campaigner NFU Mutual has found that 9,887 have been killed on rural roads in the past 10 years, two-thirds more than the number of deaths on urban roads.

According to the leading rural insurer’s analysis of the latest Department for Transport figures in its Rural Road Safety Report, 956 people were killed on countryside roads in 2024, 72% more than the 555 on urban roads. In all but one region of Britain, rural road fatalities outstripped those on urban roads.

Rural roads are also significantly more deadly when taking into account miles travelled. In 2024, there were 6.3 deaths per billion miles travelled on countryside roads, compared to 4.7 on urban roads and 1.3 on motorways.

With rural roads consistently and disproportionately more dangerous

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