A report titled Traffic in Villages, which has been endorsed by many organisations including the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CHIT), may lead to villagers of 18 to 25 years of age receiving cheap car insurance for young drivers.
The report was commissioned by Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Dorset AONB) and contains innovative ideas which could improve road safety in village communities, without the need for more road signs and speed cameras to be put in place.
Written, as the Dorset AONB website states, to educate councils in the "core principals for reducing speed, improving safety and retaining local distinctiveness," the scheme works by using psychology to slow motorists down.
Just as the environment in a supermarket car park usually leads to road users slowing their vehicles down because of the obvious presence of pedestrians, small changes can apparently be made to village design to reproduce a similar effect.
These proposed changes include narrowing the roads, setting up market stalls in the streets, positioning tables on pavements outside cafes and pubs, and changing road surfaces.
Furthermore, the author of the report states that these changes will make drivers feel they are being welcomed "as part of the village", and this will change their "perceptions and expectations", causing them to pay more attention to the road around them as they pass through.
Communities which put these ideas into practice might see a reduction in the number of accidents in their village. This could mean that the area is viewed as lower-risk by insurers, leading to village drivers receiving lower quotes for their insurance. For young drivers this could also mean that they are eligible for much cheaper cover than usual.