TWO thirds of Australia's national road toll deaths came from regional areas in last year, with drivers admitting they often break rules when on a rural road.
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August marks Rural Road Safety Month and new data has revealed those driving on rural and regional roads are more likely to engage in "risky" behaviour when behind the wheel.
The research from the Australian Road Safety Foundation found 71 per cent of city and regional drivers admitted to risky driver behaviour generally and one in four confessed to being more likely to break a road rule in rural areas.
These insights were sadly not new news for Leeton Shire Council's road safety officer Richard Hawkins.
He said rural drivers were often complacent with their driving habits.
"(They think) I haven't seen a cop in these parts for ages so I'll get away with doing an illegal u-turn or travel 10kms over or sneak home, from the pub - no one will see," Mr Hawkins said.
"Rural road users also have long distances to travel and may increase speed to get there sooner. Also, this can cause fatigue and, if not addressed by stopping for a break, can cause a crash."
Mr Hawkins said work was always being undertaken by all kinds of organisations, including council, to promote road safety on rural roads.
However, he said sometimes having the message be heard was hard.
"Getting the message to everyone is hard, especially in these lockdown times," Mr Hawkins said.
"Unfortunately some people don't listen anyway.
"Some people choose to ignore signs and warnings ... they choose to take a risk, they choose to flout the law.
"Younger drivers seem to be a reoccurring demographic.
"They seem to think they're bullet proof.
"If everyone listened to the numerous media releases we constantly release, the rural roads would be a lot safer, and a lot less deaths."
Mr Hawkins said he had recently been focusing on school zones and watching driver activity in those areas.
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"I have been monitoring one of the school's bus zones and recording the people that stop here to make a quick drop off," he said.
"A lot of parents have got the message ... but some continue to stop illegally and take off before I can talk to them.
"They know it's wrong but continue to re-offend. Then they do an illegal uturn and take off. I think even if they get fined, they will still risk it next time. Not sure how to get the message to these people."