Bad British drivers 'in denial'

A NEW study has uncovered the extent to which British drivers will stubbornly refuse to admit being wrong or behaving badly on the road.

Almost all (98.7%) UK motorists believe they are safe drivers, but only 22.6% of those who had an accident admitted being at fault, which seems to display a degree of denial in British drivers when it comes to behaving badly on the roads.

Carrot Insurance, which specialises in providing telematics-based policies to 17-24-year-olds, carried out the survey ahead of this week’s National Road Safety Week campaign and discovered several surprises.

Among them, Carrot claims, is that 15.7% of drivers get so occupied with road rage that it distracts them from the basics of staying safe on the road.

Only 5.7% admit to tailgating, which seems like a gross underestimation that again indicates British drivers’ refusal to admit being wrong or driving dangerously.

Another interesting discovery is that 22-25-year-olds are most likely to break speed limits and use mobile phones, with 29% admitting to speeding and 14% confessing to using their phones in an illegal way.

Among 17-21-year-olds these figures shrank to 7% and 2% respectively, suggesting that it’s not the youngest drivers who always pose the greatest risk.

Ed Rochfort, product director at Carrot Car Insurance, says: “It’s vital we educate people about staying safe on the road and nip bad habits in the bud.

"At Carrot, we believe in educating drivers from early on and rewarding them for good driving but we must continue to emphasise the importance of safe and careful driving among drivers of all ages to prevent unnecessary crashes and fatalities.”

By Press Association reporter