Somerset County Council is backing a major new campaign aimed at younger drivers to raise awareness of the dangers of excessive speed on rural roads. 

The Department for Transport launched its Think! campaign earlier this month on video and radio and the Council is set to roll out its own radio version of the campaign this week. 

The ads focus on a young driver eager to meet up with friends and will underline key messages around taking care, reducing speed and respecting the road layout, particularly on rural roads. 

A quarter of incidents involving fatalities or serious injuries on Somerset's rural roads involve younger drivers. 

The Council's Road Safety and Travel Somerset social media channels will be supporting the campaign which will go out on local radio stations in the county including Tone FM, Glastonbury FM and Radio Nine Springs. 

Somerset County Council's Lead Member for Transport and Digital, Cllr Mike Rigby said: "We have a large number of rural roads across the county and we know that younger drivers in particular are more likely to take risks. 

"This is about getting drivers to think about the potential for a serious collision if they don't take care. We all know what it's like to be young and suffering from fear of missing out (FOMO), if our friends are waiting for us, but the message is clear, it's just not worth taking risks with speed." 

You can view the national video advertisement here https://youtu.be/Hjbt-Lmv21g

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