A new survey into the bad habits of British drivers has uncovered:
. 58% of people will risk cutting across another vehicle if they are not in the correct lane;
. 77% sometimes or regularly eat/drink while driving;
. 45% of motorists are willing to speed by 20 mph or more on dual carriageways and motorways;
. 81% check out other drivers to see if they're attractive.
Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving is a common problem on roads across the world, and the UK is no exception, as our survey has revealed.
Cars in front of us not going as fast as we'd like prove to be one of our biggest bug-bears, with tailgating representing the most common response.
61% of those surveyed admitted to tailgating the car in front when they weren't going as fast as they were, with almost 1 in 4 of us (24%) claiming to do so 'often' or 'all of the time'.
More aggressive reactions such as flashing headlights, sounding the horn or gesturing were less common, with 73% claiming to never do so, however at least 10% of respondents admitted that this is how they deal with this situation 'often' or 'all of the time'.
It was also surprising how many of us will take a risk cutting across another driver if they are in the wrong lane. Although only 14% will do so often or more, a massive 44% will do so if they "think it is safe".
Distractions
Despite recent laws toughening up on using a mobile phone while driving, a significant proportion of UK drivers will still take a call or send a text when behind the wheel.
Although the majority of motorists would never take a call on a handheld phone (65%) or send a text (63%) while driving, 51% would answer a hands-free phone (20% 'All of the time'; 31% if they thought it was important),
However we're even more distracted by food and drink behind the wheel, with 26% of respondents eating or drinking whenever they felt the need, and over half (51%) doing so at least some of the time.
The car radio/CD player and sat-nav are also common distractions for modern drivers, with only 6% of those surveyed claiming to never adjust either of them while in motion.
Signalling
We all know the importance of indicating our intentions when out on the road, and 83% of respondents only fail to indicate if they forget to do so, while 81% check to make sure the various bulbs are working correctly at least every 3-6 months.
Speeding
Speeding to some degree is undoubtedly one of the most common habits drivers display, and a staggering 38% of drivers admit to speeding on ALL kinds of roads - even those where vulnerable road users may be present.
Unsurprisingly, it is on dual carriageways and motorways where people are most likely to speed, with 45% of motorists happy to drive at least 90 mph, while almost 1 in 4 (24%) claiming to speed by as much as they can feel they "can get away with".
The percentage of those who claim to never speed on 40 mph, 50 mph and 60 mph roads increases to 30%, while the majority also speed by up to 10 mph at least on 30 mph roads (58%).
Even on 20 mph roads and school zones the percentage of motorists willing to speed is 38%, with almost one third of those willing to do so by 20 mph or more.
Perhaps the most telling statistic though is to the question of whether motorists believe their bad habits put themselves or others in danger. Almost half (44%) claimed that their bad habits weren't dangerous, while 37% felt that the risk was not greater than any other driver.
http://www.motorworldarc.co.uk/news.asp
