14% of motorists are amber gamblers
Over 5m risky motorists ran a red light last month, illustrating the disregard 14% of British drivers bear towards the rules of the road.
On the condition that the road was quiet, going through a red light was a regular occurrence for 760,000 motorists, 2% of the motoring public.
Amber lights didn’t hold much sway for 4% of motorists either, who admitted to putting their foot down to avoid the dreaded red. Nearly 1 in 10 said they wouldn’t slow down when faced with amber.
5% of motorists said they quickly lose patience with temporary lights and head through after two minutes, convincing themselves that they are faulty if they stayed on red for too long.
At fault by default
Andy Goldby, Director of Motor Underwriting at Direct Line, who made the findings public, slammed motorists for playing Russian roulette with traffic lights and putting lives at risk.
“Motorists involved in an accident if they pass through a red light will automatically be deemed at fault for a collision,” he said.
“They could also face higher car insurance premiums at renewal if they have points on their licence.”
Phil Peace, Director of Sales at Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions, believes these findings are highly concerning for companies with a high number of employees who drive on business.
“Amber gambling reflects badly upon a company’s brand and drivers risk prosecution, fines and points on their licence,” he said.
“Companies can take a proactive stance against this trend by educating their drivers about the consequences of reckless driving. Licence checking and driver assessment can be used to identify high risk drivers. Driver training is an effective way of ensuring that employees are aware of the risks involved and that addresses the safety of their drivers and the public.
“Companies have a duty of care and must take seriously the safety of their staff and the other road users they encounter. In addition to the serious safety concern.”
Mr Goldby warned business drivers to be wary of falling prey to scammers.
“Vehicles approaching traffic lights and roundabouts are favourite targets for ‘crash for cash’ scams, where fraudsters fake accidents by making unnecessary emergency stops which force the following motorists to crash into them,” added Andy.
“Drivers should be aware that the car in front may brake very late if the light changes to amber, and should always proceed with caution.
“Brake steadily when approaching amber or red traffic signals to avoid the risk of hitting the car in front if the lights change, as well ensuring the driver behind doesn’t crash into your vehicle.”
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