Skip to main content

Speeding and distracted present major road safety threats

Speeding and distracted driving are key concerns for UK road users. Those are seen as the highest threat to safety according to a survey carried out jointly by road safety charity Brake, Aviva and Specsavers. The survey asked 1,000 drivers to identify which driving behaviour, from a list of six, they thought posed the biggest danger. And 76% ranked speeding or distraction most highly. Driving under the influence was also ranked highly, with 18% thinking drink- and drug-drivers are the biggest threat. But
November 21, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Speeding and distracted driving are key concerns for UK road users. Those are seen as the highest threat to safety according to a survey carried out jointly by road safety charity 3963 Brake, 4075 Aviva and Specsavers. The survey asked 1,000 drivers to identify which driving behaviour, from a list of six, they thought posed the biggest danger. And 76% ranked speeding or distraction most highly.

Driving under the influence was also ranked highly, with 18% thinking drink- and drug-drivers are the biggest threat. But only 3% said that vehicle emissions are the biggest threat faced, while just 1% ranked not wearing a seat belt wearing as the biggest danger and 2% rated poor vision as the biggest risk.

The age of respondents was significant regarding whether speed or distraction were placed top. Drivers aged 44 and under said speeding is the biggest threat, while drivers aged 45 and older rated distraction as their biggest fear.

The Road Safety Week survey also asked drivers which risks they would admit to taking on the roads themselves, with 79% admitting taking risks. Up to 63% confessed to sometimes speeding while 45% said that they drive distances that they could easily walk. Worryingly, 13% admitted to driving while distracted and 9% confessed to not wearing a seat belt or their passengers not wearing a seat belt.

Age was significant regarding admissions of risk-taking. Drivers aged 45 and above were more likely to admit to speeding than younger drivers. Conversely, drivers aged 44 and under were more likely to admit to driving distracted, driving under the influence, or failing to wear a seatbelt.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Safer roads needed for the gig economy
    May 14, 2019
    Roads everywhere are becoming high-pressure workplaces for millions of gig economy workers, meaning traffic police need a new way to regulate how highways are used. Geoff Hadwick reports from Manchester, UK The way in which the world’s highways are designed, built and used needs to change fast as the gig economy becomes a global phenomenon. Millions of low-paid and badly-trained freelance drivers are now using road as their workplace, all of them working hard under huge amounts of pressure. The tren
  • US road safety record
    April 26, 2012
    The latest official statistics from the US on road accidents show that fatality levels on the nation's roads have dropped to the lowest figures seen for more than six decades. The information was released by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, revealing that highway deaths fell to 32,885 for 2010, the lowest level since 1949.
  • Pedestrians in danger in the UK
    September 9, 2015
    Official data from the UK reveals the scale of the safety problem facing pedestrians on the country’s road network. This shows that nearly 18,000 pedestrians were injured in an incident involving a vehicle in 2013, the most recent year with full analysis currently available. The charity is calling for an even greater focus on pedestrian protection to make cars safer and raise awareness of the risks.
  • European police cracking down on drink driving
    August 19, 2014
    Police in Europe have been cracking down on drink driving with a major joint operation in 30 countries. Close to 1.2 million breath tests were carried out as part of this recent European operation. Police forces achieved 1,168,631 roadside breath tests for alcohol, of which 18,391 were positive. Motorists were also checked for drugs in the operation, and 2,976 offences were detected. President of pan-European police body TISPOL Koen Ricour said, “It is disappointing that so many people still think the law