Surprising Results of a Driving Survey
A recent survey conducted by Auto Trader Compare, UK’s largest motoring website for motor insurance comparison reveals that the majority of people feel the BMW drivers to be the worst followed by drivers of Subaru, Porsche, Audi and Mercedes-Benz drivers.
The complaints levelled against drivers of BMW’s include speed on the roads, passing other vehicles when conditions are unsafe, intimidating other drivers on the road and tailgating.
However, when you look at the statistics related to accident claims, the results of this survey show an amazing discrepancy. The highest numbers of claims come from drivers of Ford vehicles. According to these statistics based on the accident claims from April, 2008 to April, 2009, 23% of claims were Ford drivers, followed by Vauxhall at 15%, Volkswagen at 12%, Renault at 11% and Peugeot at 10%. Not one BMW mentioned in the list.
This survey covered 1500 motorists throughout the UK and shows that there are many outdated myths that are still prevalent. For example, 37% of those surveyed believe that men and better drivers than women and 100% believe that those who drive vans are worse drivers than those of other vehicles. In terms of the worst drivers on the road, young drivers come in a close second at 98%, seniors at 90%, taxi drivers at 78% and moms who drive their children to school at 78%. Overall, according to this survey bus drivers and those who drive HGV’s are the best drivers of all.
The survey also asked about drivers in different parts of the UK. The results show that the majority of people surveyed believe London drivers to be the worst in the nation, followed by those from the South and the East. Sunday drivers were deemed to be the worst ones of all.
At the same time, these same respondents were quite pleased with their own driving habits. 22% of them said they had excellent driving skills and another 63% rated themselves as good drivers. Green driving habits seem to be on the increase in the UK, according to this survey.
77% of drivers are more conscious of how their driving habits affect the environment and say that they do not rev up their engines or use their brakes as much as they did in the past. 53% say their driving habits have changed over the past few years.
In terms of which make and model of car is best known as a Green car, Toyota was the winner in the poll. 38% of the drivers polled named Toyota as the leader in this category, but Honda was a close second coming in with 37%. Volkswagen and Volvo tied at 23% and Citroen was named the best Green car by 19% of the respondents.
According to Matt Thompson, Marketing Director for the AutoTrader website, “It’s good that most motorists recognise bad driving habits, both in themselves and other road users. However, the important thing is that motorists change these bad driving habits because with the rising cost of motoring, it is well worth driving responsibly to stay safe and ensure your insurance premiums stay low. Remember that you must report all points on your license to your insurance company, otherwise your policy could be invalidated.”
Tags: amazing discrepancy, excellent driving skills, Auto Trader Compare, good drivers, car insurance. car accidents, driving survey, bmw drivers, Sunday driversTina Swift, the marketing director for another auto insurance website, swiftcover.com, concurs with Thompson saying, “Comparing quotes is one of the best ways of reducing your insurance costs, but driving safely is crucial to keeping your premiums as low as possible. Dangerous driving can obviously leads to accidents, which could wipe out your no claims bonus and increase your premiums, whilst getting a traffic conviction is also likely to push up the cost of your motor insurance and could even result in some companies refusing to insure you.”
