Find out more about the new Fosse Way road safety scheme.
An innovative campaign aimed at saving young people’s lives has been launched by Warwickshire County Council, targeting improved safety for young and newly qualified drivers on the county’s rural roads, where they face the highest risk according to casualty data.
The campaign focuses on the Fosse Way, Warwickshire’s longest rural road, and combines physical engineering measures with a targeted social media campaign. The campaign is designed to tackle inappropriate speed on rural roads, especially at bends and junctions where the risk of collision is at its greatest.
The campaign is underpinned by data which shows that 41% of all collisions in Warwickshire occur on rural roads. While young drivers make up around 8% of the county’s driving population, they are involved in 21% of crashes and 31% of fatalities on rural roads. In addition, 82% of those killed on Warwickshire’s rural roads are men. A local study also identified that 66% of 4,700 critical speed incidents took place at junctions.
A key message of the campaign challenges a common misconception among drivers: that you must be exceeding the speed limit to be driving too fast. To address this, the campaign highlights that many fatal rural road collisions take place below the speed limit. Local analysis shows that most drivers on Warwickshire’s rural roads travel at average speeds of 40mph or lower, even on roads where the national speed limit is 60mph.
Delivered in partnership with behavioural insight specialists SoMoCo, Warwickshire’s approach brings together behavioural science, engineering interventions, and innovative data sources, including connected mobile phone data and AI‑derived insights.
The campaign content has been shaped through behavioural research and direct engagement with young drivers in Warwickshire, who helped inform and co‑create the video content used throughout the campaign.
Mark Ryder, Warwickshire County Council’s Executive Director for Communities: “I am delighted to see real progress being made through this innovative road safety scheme. This initiative represents an important step forward in addressing the disproportionately high number of collisions involving young drivers on rural roads.
“By investing in innovative, targeted approaches, we are not only improving safety for today’s road users but also helping to build a culture of responsible driving for future generations. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this scheme will have in making our roads safer for everyone.”
Philip Seccombe, Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner and Chair of the Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership, said: “Every serious collision I am briefed on represents a moment where everything changed for a family. Too often, the people involved are young, with their whole lives ahead of them.
“That is what makes this campaign so important. It speaks honestly about the pressures and confidence that come with new driving, and it does so in a way young people recognise as real. If slowing down a little earlier at a bend or junction helps even one person get home safely, then this work will have been worth it. My message to families is simple too: keep talking, keep reinforcing good habits and never underestimate the influence you still have.”
Ashleigh Green, one of the young people involved in shaping the campaign, said: “When I signed up, I didn’t expect the organisers to involve us so much. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were genuinely interested in our suggestions and open to listening to what we had to say.
“I feel proud that we helped shape the campaign into what it is and sincerely hope we see a decline in the number of accidents involving young drivers in Warwickshire.”
Nicola Wass, CEO of SoMoCo, added: “The problem is not that young drivers do not care about safety. Rather, inexperience, overconfidence and social pressure can influence judgement at critical moments. Generic road safety messages often fail to address this.
“This campaign is distinctive because it brings together data, behavioural insight, engineering solutions and youth co‑creation. The result is an evidence‑led, relevant and practical approach focused on helping more young people reach home safely.”
More information about road safety in Warwickshire can be found online: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadsafety