8:10pm Saturday 7th November 2009
By Jon Wills
MOTORISTS from communities along the A377 are being offered training and advice to cope with hazards on the road.
As part of Devon’s Country Mile project, one-to-one advanced driving instruction is being provided, covering how to cope with wet leaves, mud, ice, snow and standing water on the route which stretches from Exeter to Barnstaple.
The training, offered free of charge, has been designed to support local drivers.
It follows a Country Mile study which revealed that between 2002 and 2006, there were 213 injury collisions on the A377, including 13 fatalities and 32 serious injuries.
Around 95% of these road collisions were caused by human error, and 86% involved someone that lived within 20km of the collision site.
That compares with the North Devon Link Road where 39% of collisions involved people living near the route.
An information leaflet to raise awareness of the major issues contributing towards collisions on the A377 is also being distributed to service stations, shops, pubs, post offices and other community facilities in towns and villages along the route.
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