Country drivers regularly speed

... because they know the area, according to an exclusive preview of the 16th annual AAMI Crash Index to be released on October 10.

While three out of every five fatal road crashes in Australia occur on rural roads and 68 per cent of these are a single-vehicle accidents, only 40 per cent of motorists say they drive under the speed limit when in country areas.

The worst were in Western Australia where only 34 per cent claim they drive under the speed limit, while the safest are in Tasmania where 54 per cent drive under the rural speed limits.

Almost a quarter of all drivers believe city drivers are to blame for the rural road toll, not locals.

One of Australia's foremost trauma doctors has called for all drivers in country areas to pay more attention.

Professor Russell Gruen, head of the National Trauma Research Institute says it's common for drivers on regional roads to travel faster and longer than city drivers.

"Because regional drivers are often travelling faster, the impact of any collision is greater and resulting injuries are more severe," he says.

"They often have to wait longer for paramedic and hospital intervention, and critical injuries are therefore left untreated longer."

Gruen says the hazards in the city are expected such as cyclists, buses, children, trams and pedestrians while others, such as school zones, are signposted. He says rural hazards often don't come with signposts and wildlife can be unpredictable.

Thankfully, 78 per cent of Aussie drivers pay more attention when driving on rural roads, particularly people who live in capital cities, according to the AAMI Crash Index.

Women are more likely than men (81 and 75 per cent respectively) to pay attention to their driving in the country and are more likely (36 per cent) to limit distractions than men (29 per cent).

Prof Gruen says drivers should be more alert to dangers on rural roads than in the city and says fatigue is a key contributing factor in rural single-car collisions.

"Drivers who spend time on regional roads should avoid becoming a statistic by staying alert, being sensible about speed, expecting the unexpected and, of course, avoiding alcohol and drugs," he says.

The AAMI Crash Index online survey was conducted by Newspoll Market & Social Research who polled 3740 Australian drivers, 18 years of age and older, across all states and territories this year.

The Index will also cover driver attitudes to environmental motoring, speed, distractions and aggressive driving/road rage.

RURAL DRIVING ATTITUDES

Speed on rural roads because I know the area

State/Terrs: NSW 22%, Qld 22%, Vic 20%, WA 18%, ACT 17%, Tas 16%, SA 13%, NT 10%
City drivers: Sydney 21%, Melbourne 20%, Brisbane 18%, Perth 16%, Adelaide 10%
National: 20%

Drive under the speed limit on rural roads

State/Terrs: Tas 54%, ACT 46%, Vic 46%, NSW 42%, SA 41%, NT 38%, Qld 35%, WA 34%
City drivers: Melbourne 45%, Adelaide 42%, Sydney 41%, Perth 32%, Brisbane 31%
National: 40%

City drivers cause problems on rural roads, not locals

State/Terrs: NSW 29%, SA 25%, WA 25%, Tas 24%, Qld 23%, Vic 18%, ACT 16%, NT 15%
City drivers: Sydney 25%, Perth 20%, Brisbane 19%, Adelaide 17%, Melbourne 16%
National: 24%

Have a few drinks on rural roads because I know the road

State/Terrs: NSW 8%, Vic 7%, NT 7%, ACT 6%, Qld 5%, SA 5%, WA 5%, Tas 3%
City drivers: Sydney 11%, Melbourne 7%, Brisbane 5%, Adelaide 5%, Perth 5%
National: 6%

Source: AAMI Crash Index