Insurance.co.uk poll - British roads an accident waiting to happen

(PRLEAP.COM) Half of British motorists “would fail driving test”. More than 18 million motorists believe they would fail their driving test if they had to take it again, according to new research from Insurance.co.uk.

A staggering 52 per cent of drivers admitted that there is a high chance they wouldn’t pass if they had to re-sit the exam.

And it’s women who have the least confidence in themselves, with 59 per cent thinking they would struggle to pass compared to just 46 per cent of men.

Worryingly, only 27 per cent of drivers were able to identify a ‘No Waiting’ sign while 12 per cent didn’t know what the sign for ‘keep left’ looked like.

Alarmingly almost one in ten couldn’t recognise the ‘no overtaking’ sign either.

Steve Grainger head of the new comparison website http://www.insurance.co.uk, which carried out the poll said: “It’s a fact of life that roads can be dangerous and we’re used to blaming other drivers for this. But we must also look closer to home; our own driving skills aren’t up to scratch either.

”Even the most competent driver, after years on the road, can become complacent. Many drivers assume that passing their test is where the learning stops and the open road begins. However, our research shows that bad habits come all too easy.”

The poll, of 1,000 drivers, revealed that the average Brit took two attempts to get through their test in the first place.

And since then, many drivers have slipped into bad habits, with almost three quarters admitting to driving above the 70mph legal speed limit on the motorway.

Almost half sometimes turn without signalling and 37 per cent drive above 60mph on a dual carriageway.

A cheeky 32 per cent have even slammed the brakes on as they approach a speed camera.

Not surprisingly, 39 per cent of drivers have been given penalty points at some point since they first got behind the wheel, with 17 per cent of those collecting a total of five or more.

But men are most likely to end up with points on their license with almost half (48 per cent) of guys admitting to having penalties compared to just 31 per cent of women.

Almost two thirds of Brits have also been involved in an accident since first passing their test but only 31 per cent reckon they were to blame.

More than half of drivers have had to claim on their car insurance with 30 per cent of those doing so more than once.

Despite this, on a scale of one to five, 22 per cent would rate themselves a four or above on their driving ability. However, 23 per cent of drivers only give their driving a one out of five.

Steve Grainger for http://www.insurance.co.uk added: “When you can’t even trust your own driving ability, you must be able to have faith in your car insurance policy. When you’re looking for cover, don’t just focus on getting the cheapest; make sure it’s the right policy to suit your needs.

“To test your own driving skills, visit http://www.insurance.co.uk for a free online theory test. For many people this will be a wake up call that it’s time to go back to driving school.”
Top 10 errors made while driving;

• Driving over 70mph on a motorway (73%);
• Turning without signalling (48%);
• Driving over 60mph on a dual carriageway (37%);
• Breaking hard before a speed camera (32%);
• Undertaking a slower driver (30%);
• Turning without checking your mirror (28%);
• Driving whilst talking on a mobile/texting (26%);
• Driving with a frosted windscreen (25%);
• Driving without a seatbelt (20%);
• Jumping a red light (20%).

Source: http://www.insurance.co.uk

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