BRITAIN’S BADLY BEHAVED COMMUTERS:
A THIRD DON’T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT DANGEROUS DRIVING
UK commuters are behaving badly behind the wheel, with 65% admitting to their own bad driving behaviours over the last year, dispelling the patient and polite British persona.
Rushed and stressed commuters don’t feel guilty about driving dangerously or being distracted on the road as they race to get to the office on time, according to new research from Allianz Your Cover. In fact a fifth (21%) blame their poor habits on other commuters.
The top five bad commuter behaviours are:
- Speeding (30%)
- Careless driving (14%)
- Travelling too fast for the conditions (14%)
- Tailgating (13%)
- Not looking when changing lanes (13%)
Commuters may however have been twisting the truth about their bad habits, as although nearly a third (30%) admitted to speeding, more than half (55%) have seen other drivers exceed the speed limit. And the bad habit bluffing doesn’t stop there:
- 5% admit they have jumped a red light – 38% have seen other commuters do this
- 4% have applied make-up – 22% have seen other commuters do this
- 2% say they failed to stop at a give way sign – 22% have seen other commuters do this
More than half of British commuters (52%) are in too much of a hurry to drive safely and are blaming their bad driving on a lack of concentration (30%) and being tired (27%). The commuting environment impacts the workplace as almost half of drivers (43%) believe that their commute affects their mood and can negatively impact their work.
Despite witnessing the bad habits of their fellow commuters, one in four (27%) hope that a driver would stop to help them if they were in need, a lot less (15%) have actually pulled over to help. The main reason for continuing their commute instead of helping a fellow commuter is to avoid being put in danger (43%). With safety being top priority breakdown services can help out those in need enabling other drivers to continue their journey. Other reasons given for not stopping to help fellow commuters are not knowing how to help (27%), followed by being in a rush (27%).