UK drivers are an irritated bunch according to a new survey on what makes drivers see red when they are on the road.
Over 1900 UK drivers told InsuretheGap.com, a specialist provider of GAP Insurance (Guaranteed Asset Protection), what irritates them most about other drivers:
1. Using mobile phone (64%)
2. Tailgating (61%)
3. Not indicating (53%)
4. Incorrect lane use (49%)
5. Driving way under the speed limit unnecessarily (40%)
6. Littering (36%)
7. Being cut up (33%)
8. Inconsiderate parking (32%)
9. No lights in poor visibility (29%)
10. Overtaking a parked car/s / or bike and veering into oncoming traffic with little consideration (28%)
Other questionable-driving activities irritating drivers include: oncoming vehicles using full beam (28%); failure to acknowledge courteousness (26%); and undertaking (26%).
For both men and women, their top pet hate is other drivers using a mobile phone, followed by tailgating. Driving under the speed limit unnecessarily is the only activity where there is a big difference between men and women, with 41% of men finding it annoying, but only 31% of women.
The survey found that loud music and littering are also much higher gripes for the over 65s, than younger generations.
When drivers were asked the brand of car they would most associate with being poorly driven, a quarter said BMW, followed by Audi (14%), then Mercedes (6%).
Ben Wooltorton, Chief Operating Officer at InsuretheGap.com, said: It’s interesting that mobile phone use is the chief bugbear for drivers even though it’s illegal. As well as penalty points and a £200 fine if you use a hand-held phone when driving, you can also lose your licence if you passed your driving test in the last two years, and be taken to court.
He continues: What also annoys drivers is if their car is written off, or stolen, and the insurance company only pays out what it is worth at the time, not what they paid for it. This can leave drivers potentially thousands of pounds out of pocket. This is where GAP insurance can help, and cover from InsuretheGap is a fraction of the price of the cover offered by the car dealerships.
*1917 UK drivers surveyed by InsuretheGap.com. The drivers are customers of Halo Insurance Services Ltd.
