Country road doesn’t refer to any particular type of road, it’s more used to describe the surroundings, environment & potential hazards of areas which are in those greenbelt areas between towns or areas with lots of open space. They are often rural areas, the roads may be lined with tall hedges with farming land either side.

Roads in these areas are often single lane carriageways where maximum speed limits are 60mph unless otherwise stated by road signs.

Most will have central road markings that can instruct us not to cross them or when we can cross them.

A double solid white line means we cannot cross, unless we need to overtake traffic slower than 10mph, for example a cyclist or slow tractor.

A broken white line next to a solid white line indicates that traffic on the broken white line side can cross it to overtake if it is safe to do so.

Driving on country road requires good hazard perception, assessing what you can see (or can't see round a corner) and choosing a safe top speed.

What hazards can we expect on country roads?

• Poor visibility due to hedges
• Closed junctions
• Blind bends
• Sharp bends
• Irrigation ditches
• Narrow roads
• Single track roads
• Poor road surfaces
• Potholes
• Standing water
• Farm entrances
• Unmarked junctions
• Concealed entrances
• Slow tractors
• Mud on the road
• Cyclists
• Horse riders
• No lighting at night
• Loose livestock
• Wild animals
• Black ice - skid risk
• High speed limits
• Others overtaking dangerously!