Canberra motorists have been urged to slow down on Yass's country roads, after figures showed most crashes in the region involved out-of-area drivers.
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Yass Valley Council launched a new road safety campaign on Friday to highlight the dangers that come with rural roads.
The council's road safety officer Melissa Weller said the initiative would encourage motorists to drive to the conditions of the road, rather than speed limits.
"Country roads can be winding, narrow, surface conditions can vary from sealed roads to gravel roads, also wildlife and stock can appear suddenly," Ms Weller said.
The campaign was prompted by crash data from NSW Roads and Maritime Services that showed 51 per cent of crashes in Yass Valley took place on country roads, which were roads other than state highways, she said.
It was also influenced by figures released by ARRB Group last year that showed fatal crashes involving ACT drivers were three to five times more likely to occur in NSW than in the ACT, based on the years 2006 to 2010.
"Statistics also show that 24 per cent of motorists who crash in Yass Valley are locals," Ms Weller said.
"The other 76 per cent are from interstate and other NSW local government areas, so we know we need to communicate with local motorists and those in neighbouring areas too, including the ACT."
Six of the 26 people who have died on Yass Valley local government area roads in the past five years have been ACT-licensed drivers, NSW RMS data showed.
Canberra commuters tended to be less familiar with country roads and there was a need to boost awareness of the conditions, Ms Weller said.
"I think a really interesting thing for ACT drivers is that they are used to a road system that's very young, very well-planned and well-delineated.
"Then you get on to our goat-track roads and we've got curves, we've got crests, we've got tight corners and especially once you add gravel roads in, people are just sliding around corners."
The fact many country roads in the Yass region had a default 100 km/h speed limit meant it was vital drivers were aware they needed to watch their speed and look out for hazards, she said.
The most common crashes in the area involved cars that had run off either straight or curved roads.
"In a 100 km/h zone when that happens it indicates that people aren't driving to the conditions," she said.
The fresh campaign has been backed by NSW Police and ACT Policing and will coincide with their efforts to encourage safe driving during the summer holidays.
ACT Policing's Traffic Operations officer in charge Rod Anderson said many drivers commuted daily between the territory and NSW for work and recreation.
"We also know that the ACT and surrounding areas becomes a thoroughfare for travellers during the holiday season.
"Whether you're on country roads for a long trip or just your regular commute, the message is simple – you don't have to be speeding to be going too fast on country roads."
The campaign will run until early February and has been funded by the NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust.
