Safe drivers bullied into breaking Code
Last updated 13:45, Monday, 25 August 2008
SAFE drivers are regularly bullied into breaking the Highway Code, according to Direct Line.
A study by the car insurer showed 93 per cent of motorists who stuck to the speed limit were tailgated by impatient drivers in an attempt to make them go faster.
Just 47 per cent of those driving in their usual style were tailgated.
The study, which monitored the response of other motorists to differing driving styles, was commissioned with TRL (Transport Research Laboratory).
Direct Line said driver behaviour needs to change to avoid endangering vulnerable new drivers and mums with children in the car – who are the drivers most likely to stick to the Highway Code.
The insurer says tailgating is directly responsible for about seven per cent of UK road traffic accidents.
The study showed an increased use of the rear-view mirror and raised heart rates by drivers being tailgated, suggesting they become stressed and emotionally upset as a result, which in turn can lead to an accident.
Maggie Game, head of car insurance at Direct Line, said: “Drivers need to understand that the increased stress caused as a result of tailgating can lead to volatile situations on the road.
“By driving less erratically, with fewer gear changes, rapid accelerations and decelerations, the average journey time is eight per cent faster overall. So, improving driving habits could actually save time and money as well as lives.”
The TRL said there is a danger of tailgating becoming the norm as people take advantage of those observing the two-second gap rule to cut in, frustrating those who want to drive safely and discouraging them from keeping their distance.
Dr Nick Reed, senior human factors researcher, TRL, said: “From our research it appears that although drivers state that tailgating is one of the most annoying driving habits, it is a very common feature of driving today, as over 90 per cent of motorists were witnessed tailgating whilst driving to strict Highway Code guidelines.
“However, it is possible that it is so commonplace that it has become ingrained in driver behaviour, as many of our test drivers also tailgated once they were free to drive ‘normally’.
“Causes for tailgating may be ascribed to a number of factors, from drivers being unaware of their own unsafe driving behaviour, to frustration with the lead vehicle for driving at the national speed limit and is therefore an attempt to speed them up.”
During the 15 hours of monitored drives while following the Highway Code, the study recorded six instances of direct conflict with other road users.
When asked about how they respond to annoying behaviour by other drivers, responses ranged from car vandalism and confronting the other driver, to cutting in, ‘brake testing’, and indirect aggressive gestures.
