A NEW campaign to promote safer driving on Wiltshire's rural roads has been launched by the South West Safety Camera Partnership.

Figures for the Department of Transport show that more than 60 per cent of driving-related fatalities happen on country roads and accidents are more than three times as likely to result in tragedy than crashes in urban areas.

Adverts on the back of buses and on the radio will remind motorists to slow down and use slogans including "countryside to die for?"

The campaign is aimed at both tourists driving on unfamiliar roads and local people who have become over-confident and take risks.

Last week a family of German visitors was injured and a Brazilian man died in a collision on the A36 near Codford.

Road safety experts hope the latest initiative will help to make the roads safer for all users.

"Because rural roads are generally freer of traffic there is a tendency for motorists to assume that it is safe to break the speed limit," said project manager of the Wiltshire and Swindon Safety Camera Partnership David Frampton.

"However, country lanes and highways are often less forgiving than urban roads and should be treated with caution.

"Just because a road is national speed limit does not mean it is safe to drive at 60 mph.

"Motorists should only drive at a speed appropriate for the road and conditions and never in excess of the speed limit."