Mode 1: Roadway Regulars explores the mode we most commonly expect to see on rural roadways.
In rural areas, road users face unique challenges navigating the rural road network. Those challenges include but are not limited to:
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), the majority of passenger travel in 2022 (86.8 percent of trips and 82.8 percent of person-miles traveled) occurred in personal vehicles. While only 20 percent of the population lives in rural areas and 31 percent of vehicle miles travel occur in rural areas, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2024 41 percent (16,006 fatalities) of fatal crashes happened in rural areas.
The Safe System Approach emphasizes safety for all road users and travel modes as a shared responsibility.
Over #RRSAW2026, we will explore ways to implement road safety strategies for all rural modes, particularly those that can reduce fatalities and serious injuries and get everyone home safely.
Motorcycles can be difficult to see because of their small size and motorcyclists are more vulnerable. Their safety is a shared responsibility so Look Twice, Save a Life and learn more in this Motorcycle Safety Foundation Graphic.
(Source: MSF)
“Rural versus urban locations: People who live in rural areas might believe their crash exposure is low, but in 2024, there were 11,243 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities in rural locations and 11,335 fatalities in urban locations. Out of those fatalities, 50 percent of those killed in the rural locations were known to be not wearing their seat belts, compared to 47 percent in urban locations.”
(Source: NHTSA)
In 2024, over 315,000 people were injured and 3,208 people were killed in crashes involving distracted driving. It is important to stay focused on the road.
Stay Focused on the Road
(Source: FMCSA)
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