A road safety campaign urging drivers to slow down in wet weather has been launched after almost 3,000 deaths and serious injuries were reported on British roads during wet weather in 2015.

Created by Highways England, the ‘When it rains, it kills’ campaign warns motorists of the dangers of driving in heavy rain, which has been found to be 30 times more likely to cause an injury or result in fatality than when driving in snowy conditions.

In total, 197 road users were killed in 2015 and 2,721 suffered a serious injury during wet weather, suggesting that motorists don’t alter how they drive in the rain as much as they do during snowy, foggy and icy conditions.

Nine of these deaths occurred in Greater Manchester, seven in the north east and 35 people were reported to have suffered serious injury as a result of wet weather in Devon.

During wet weather, drivers are advised to double the braking distance between themselves and the vehicle in front of them to reduce the risk of a crash as a result of aquaplaning, which occurs when the tyres of a vehicle lose traction with the road.

David Robinson, specialist road traffic collision and serious injury solicitor at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “The majority of motorists recognise the need to slow down and take extra care when driving in difficult weather conditions, but given the worryingly high number of serious injuries and deaths reported on British roads last year, it’s clear that some drivers need to be better educated on the risks presented when driving in wet conditions.

“Highways England is making a conscious effort to tackle this issue but, while this campaign will help to reinforce the need to take precaution when driving in wet weather, it’s going to take a lot more than a road safety initiative to change public behaviour on the road.

“The government has a responsibility to ensure the safety of all drivers remains a priority. With winter weather in full swing, new and improved road safety measures to prevent reckless drivers from not only putting themselves but other road users at risk in dangerous weather conditions is needed now more than ever. Without intervention from the government, we fear that the number of deaths and injuries reported on our roads will remain high, if not increase.”