Are you a dangerous driver? 10 ways to tell
www. insure.com
July 31, 2005
Bad habits range from road rage to eating while driving. Compare yourself with these accident magnets from Boston. Do you see yourself here?
Surely you've seen them on the road: They're swerving in and out of lanes, ignoring rules of the road, and engaging in other rude -- and dangerous - behavior. Or maybe you are that bad driver? Compare yourself with a focus group of 30 drivers from Boston who have collectively been involved in 84 accidents over the past three years and received 49 speeding tickets, 39 moving violations and 92 parking tickets. Take a look at these questions to find out if you fit the profile.
When you reach a stop sign and no one is coming from another direction, do you roll through instead of stopping? An overwhelming majority (87%) of the bad drivers say they should be able to speed, go through stop signs, and break other driving rules and regulations as long as no one gets hurt.
Do you talk on the cell phone while driving instead of pulling off and stopping to talk? A total of 77% of bad drivers say they do this either frequently or occasionally. Only 13% say they never talk on a cell phone while driving.
Do you take your coffee and muffin or other food and drink on the road with you, driving with one hand while using the other to eat? Some 60% of those in the study say they either frequently or occasionally eat while they're driving. In fact, several of the participants say they have spilled drinks and attempted to clean up the spill while driving.
If you're out shopping in a crowded area and are looking for a parking space, do you become so focused on your search that you lose sight of the cars and pedestrians around you? More than half of the participants say that when they're trying to find a parking space in a crowded area, they can become so focused that they become oblivious to other drivers and pedestrians and often get into accidents, whether on the street or in a parking lot.
Do you hate driving behind SUVs or other large vehicles that obstruct your view? More than 60% of bad drivers say they are frustrated driving behind SUVs because they are wide and tall and block their vision. In fact, more than 70% believe SUVs should be required to drive in a separate lane on the highway.
Does your driving change when you go into areas with higher police presence? Nearly all of the participants strongly agree with the statement that they drive more carefully when they know police are in the area. In addition, most participants say they check their rearview mirrors regularly for police cars.
Does listening to music while you drive sometimes leave you oblivious to all but the music? Some 93% of participants say they listen to the radio while driving, and 73% of them listen to music. Most say listening to the radio has often caused them to become distracted and in some cases they say listening to loud music has caused them to be more aggressive on the highway.
Do you find yourself in confrontations on the road, either through verbal arguments or hand gestures, because of either your own driving habits or the habits of others? While 87% of the bad drivers consider themselves at least somewhat courteous drivers if not very courteous, at least half also admit making obscene or rude gestures or comments to other drivers, particularly those who cut in front of them on the highway. Participants also say, however, that they appreciate a thank-you gesture for letting another driver into their lane, and often give a wave of thanks themselves when they cut into traffic.
Does your "work hard, play hard" lifestyle leave you sleepy behind the wheel at times? About 50% of those in the study say they have almost fallen asleep while driving and an additional 10% say they have wanted to shut their eyes while driving and almost did. The study found that most participants lead a busy lifestyle that sometimes leaves them sleep-deprived.
When you're driving with passengers, do you turn around to talk, taking your eyes and mind off the road? Nearly all group members acknowledged that they are distracted when they have passengers in their vehicles, and most say during conversations they'll turn their heads and stop paying attention to the road. This held true especially for drivers with small children.
If your answers agree with the answers from the focus group, it's likely you tend to be a more aggressive driver than average. Like members of the study, you may also pay more for your auto insurance. Within the study group, 53% pay a surcharge on their auto insurance because of their driving records. Outgoing, confident, and a menace. These bad drivers have other characteristics that you may recognize in your own life. Most say they lead very stressful lives without enough time to accomplish all their activities in a day. They all consider themselves either somewhat or very outgoing, and all have a fair to great amount of confidence in the way they behave. And 90% say they've told a "little white lie" to protect someone's feelings. The group was broken down into three age groups, from 18 to 25 years old, 26 to 45 years old, and 46 to 59 years old. There were 19 men and 11 women in the study, commissioned by RightFind Technology, a company developing new products to help insurers make better decisions on auto insurance rates for specific drivers. While the study is based on a small group and should be considered a hypothesis rather than a conclusion, "our study identified several personality attributes that seem clearly linked to accident involvement," says Donald Bashline, one of the owners of RightFind. "Witnessing these focus groups was a revelation."
10. Read the article. Sum it up. Do you think this initiative will make roads safer.
DRIVING AGE COULD RISE TO 18 TO MAKE ROADS SAFER
By Ray Massey The Daily Mail
20 September, 2006
How the young can be a danger on the roads
Young learner drivers could soon be forced to take lessons for a year before taking their test - making 18 the minimum age for a full driving licence.
A 12 month 'L-plate' probationary period would raise the minimum age by which teenagers could qualify for a full licence and drive unsupervised on the road from 17 to 18.
But it would also cut deaths on UK roads by 1,000 lives each year, says a major report to ministers by a coalition of leading insurance, motoring and road safety groups and parliamentary advisers.
The problem is not just 'boy racers' but also inexperience, they say. The sheer number and influence of the groups behind the report means it is be very hard for the Government to ignore their demands.
The minimum 12 month probation should cover drivers in the 17 to 20 age group who are most at risk, say the report's authors.
At present it is possible for a teenager with a valid provisional licence to take and pass a test within 24 hours of his or her 17th birthday - passing the theory test on day one and the practical driving test the next day.
The year-long probationary period is one of a package of measures aimed at reducing the disproportionate number of serious accidents - many of them fatal - involving younger drivers. As well as the human cost, it means higher insurance premiums for all drivers.
The proposals were being announced today at the first national motor conference organised by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), which is part of the coalition.
The ABI is being backed by the RAC Foundation, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, and road safety groups Brake, Roadsafe, and the Make Roads Safe Campaign.
Shocking statistics show nearly half of young male drivers have a crash in their first year of driving.
Last year nearly 1,200 drivers were killed or seriously injured on UK roads - nearly three a day.
Male motorists in the 17 to 20 age group are almost 10 times more likely to be killed than more experienced drivers.
They are also five times more likely than a man aged 30 to 59 to be involved in a road accident involving a casualty.
And almost a quarter of passengers who has been seriously injured was travelling with a young driver. Young men are far more likely than young women to be involved in accidents.
Young men aged 17 to 20 account for just three per cent of the country's driving population - but 33 per cent of convictions for dangerous driving, including causing death and bodily harm.
The average insurance claim made by 17- 18 year old is £4,473 - more than three times the £1,459 for a 30 - 59 year old man.
The experts' report from the 'great and the good' of the motoring and road safety world was being handed today to ministers whose officials said the radical proposals would be studied seriously.
The experts' report also proposed limiting the number of passengers - typically to two - that drivers can carry in their first few months on the road.
They also raised the idea of a night curfew for young drivers - or at the very least encouraging them to drive less at night when more than half you driver accidents occur.
The new system would be similar to rules in California where restrictions on young drivers include a ban on newly licensed drivers aged under 18 from driving other young people for a year. They also cannot drive between 11pm and 5am unless it is a medical emergency or for school or work reasons.
Experts say a typical accident involving a young driver takes place late at night after a pub or club has closed.
Most accidents also involve a car packed with youngsters, with up to six people who seldom wear seat belts squeezed into a car.
Learners should also have their hours and performance recorded in a logbook by their instructors, says their report.
Their joint report acknowledged that not all young drivers are 'boy racers' but an ABI spokesman said 'There should a longer period before they are let loose on the driving test.'
The report concludes: "If a 12-month minimum learning period were introduced, there would be up to 1,000 fewer deaths and serious injuries on our roads each year."
The report entitled 'Young Drivers - Reducing Death on the Roads' explains: "A minimum learning period before the driving test would enable drivers to undertake supervised practice without an incentive to rush to take the practical test."
It said there were "clear benefits" but currently few incentives to learner drivers getting more experience. "Each year 50,000 17-year-olds in the UK pass their driving test with less than six months driving experience.
"By contrast, in many European countries - where the minimum driving age is often 18 - minimum learning periods are commonplace."
It says Sweden has had a minimum learning period for more than a decade and seen accident rates slump by 40 per cent among young drivers.
Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman said: "The Government takes extremely seriously the safety issues associated with young and newly qualified drivers.
"We work closely with the insurance industry to influence the behaviour of young and newly qualified drivers through incentives rather than regulation."
But he also stressed the UK driving test has been "considerably strengthened" and is "one of the most demanding in the world."
ABI director-general Stephen Haddrill said: "Every day, four people are killed or seriously injured in crashes involving young drivers.
"The trend is getting worse not better. We urge the Government to adopt these proposals to improve safety on our roads and reduce this tragic loss of life."
Robert Gifford of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety said: "Too many young drivers are still killed and injured on our roads. These numbers are out of proportion to the percentage of young drivers acquiring driving licences.The proposals outlined here offer a way forward."
Also participating at today's conference will be South Yorkshire Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes, head of roads policing at the Association of Chief Police officers (ACPO).
The RAC Foundation said the proposals could help reduce 'pointless' young deaths on the road: "A combination of youthful optimism, lack of experience and peer group pressure makes young drivers particularly vulnerable."
Earlier this month, insurance giant Norwich Union warned young drivers face a hike of up to 40 per cent on their insurance policies because of the appalling record of young male drivers.
The average customer Britain's second-biggest insurance firm, will see a 16 per cent increase on their premiums.
11. Comment on this initiative.
Drivers may face retest at 50.
(Drivers may have to take tough new driving and medical tests when they reach 50.)