If you regularly drive the A529 between the A41 at Hinstock and the A525 at Audlem, you’ll know how quickly the road can change. One minute you’re on an open rural stretch, the next you’re approaching a bend, junction, village or slower-moving vehicle. It’s a familiar road for many local drivers, and that familiarity can make it easy to underestimate the risks.

The A529 has a history of serious collisions, which is why a number of safety improvements have been made along the route. But safer roads also depend on the everyday decisions we make behind the wheel.

Take extra care at the A529/A41 junction

A particular area of concern is the junction where the A529 meets the A41 near Hinstock.

Drivers joining or leaving the A41 have to judge the speed and distance of other vehicles, while traffic on the A41 may be travelling considerably faster.

The simple message here is: slow down, give yourself time and look carefully before making your move.

If you use the junction every day, try not to let familiarity lead to rushing. Conditions can change from one journey to the next, and another driver may behave differently from the way you expect.

Watch your speed through Hinstock

As you approach Hinstock, the road changes from a rural route to an area with homes, junctions and pedestrians.

Speed limits and other safety measures have been introduced to encourage drivers to slow down. They aren’t there simply to make journeys take longer. A few miles per hour can make a significant difference to how much time you have to react, and how serious a collision could be.

Ease off the accelerator early rather than waiting until you reach the village or a junction.

Expect the unexpected on rural stretches

Between Hinstock, Market Drayton, Adderley and Audlem, much of the A529 runs through the countryside.

That means you may suddenly come across tractors, agricultural machinery, cyclists, horse riders or vehicles turning into side roads and properties. Give yourself enough space to react. If you catch up with something slower, wait until you have a genuinely clear opportunity before overtaking.

Saving a minute or two is never worth taking a chance on a blind bend or near a junction.

Be particularly alert at junctions

Several junctions and crossroads along the A529 have received safety improvements, including the Mount Pleasant crossroads near Market Drayton.

When approaching any rural junction, remember that another driver may be waiting to turn across your path or may misjudge how quickly you are approaching.

A good rule is to ask yourself: “What if that vehicle pulls out?”

If the answer is that you wouldn’t have enough time to react, reduce your speed and create more space.

Slow down through villages

Places such as Hinstock, Woodseaves and Adderley are not simply points along an A-road. They are communities where people live, walk, cycle and travel to school. Speed limits have been introduced or changed at a number of locations along the route, including measures around Adderley Primary School.

When you enter a lower speed limit, slow down before you reach it and stay within the limit throughout the area.

Bad weather changes the road

Rain, fog, low sun, ice and darkness can make a familiar stretch of the A529 feel very different.

Country roads can become particularly difficult when visibility is poor. Even if you know every bend, you cannot know what will be around the next one.

The speed limit is a maximum, not a target. Drive at a speed that gives you enough time to stop within the distance you can see to be clear.

Five things to remember on the A529

• Take extra care at the A529/A41 junction near Hinstock.
• Slow down before villages, junctions and bends.
• Expect tractors, cyclists, horse riders and turning vehicles.
• Only overtake when you can clearly see that it is safe.
• Leave more space and reduce your speed in poor weather or darkness.

A familiar road still deserves your attention

For many people in the area, the A529 is simply part of the daily journey – to work, school, the shops or home. But familiar roads can sometimes be the ones where we pay the least attention.

The safety improvements made between Hinstock and Audlem are designed to reduce the risk of collisions, but every driver has a part to play too.