Everybody’s fault but mine – irresponsible drivers keen to pass the blame
More than two-thirds (69%) of drivers worry about being killed on the road as a result of the carelessness of other drivers, according to research released today.
Despite this concern, only 1% of the 800 drivers surveyed admitted they don’t take as much care as the typical motorist with 98% believing they are safer than, or as safe as the average driver.
The research carried out by Brake and Direct Line suggests that many drivers overrate their driving ability, blaming other drivers’ risky driving for crashes on the roads. In reality, a high proportion of drivers continue to regularly take risks such as speeding, drink driving or driving tired.
Only one in a hundred drivers believe that the roads are full of safe drivers while one in three (35%) think there are more dangerous drivers than safe drivers on the road.
Nearly a third (31%) said they feel safer when driving a car compared to other modes of transport, while only 5% said being a passenger in a car made them feel the safest.
Julie Townsend, campaigns director of Brake, said: “Being over-confident, and believing you can get away with risk-taking, is a really dangerous attitude behind the wheel. If you drive, you have a responsibility to yourself and others to stay within the law.
“That’s why we’re calling on drivers to make our ‘Pledge to Drive Safely’. It’s time everyone took it upon themselves to play their part in making our roads safer, instead of just pointing the finger at others.”
Too many drivers worry about other people’s driving rather than concentrating on their own, added Andy Goldby, Director of Motor Underwriting at Direct Line.
“In previous research we have discovered that large numbers of drivers admit to speeding, drink driving and driving whilst tired, demonstrating that many drivers either don’t see these as important, or need to seriously re-examine their attitude to safe driving,” commented Andy.
“In almost all collisions at least one of the drivers made a mistake, so the 98 per cent that think they are safer than, or as safe as the average driver, need to think about this question again.“
Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research at The Institute of Advanced Motorists, wasn’t surprised at the findings.
“Feeling you are better than the average is a very common perception, especially in driving, and this is biased towards men who are more likely to believe that they are very good drivers,” he said.
“Drivers need to take responsibility for their own risk on the road – as opposed to putting the blame on other road users – to ensure they stay as safe as possible. Very few accidents are totally unavoidable.”
Brake and Direct Line are calling on drivers to make a ‘Pledge to Drive Safely’ to show they take their responsibility behind the wheel seriously. Click here to take the pledge.
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