Driving us mad! Britain’s Top 20 modern day driving irritations revealed
Kwik Fit | Monday 14th August 2017 9:00am
- Using social media whilst driving, taking selfies whilst in traffic and littering feature in Brits top motoring nuisances
- New research conducted by Kwik Fit to highlight road etiquette and the importance of safely sharing the road
- Using ride-on toy cars, Kwik Fit have created a witty and entertaining guide to road etiquette featuring children mimicking modern-day driving peeves.
Posting selfies behind the wheel, horn happy drivers and litterbugs have been voted by Brits as the top modern day driving irritations, in a new study released today.
Over half (57%) of Brits surveyed said that being tailgated by other road users is the biggest driving annoyance, whilst aggressive driving (55%) and failing to indicate (53%) also grinds their gears.
Research shows how digital devices continue to distract drivers, with texting at the wheel (47%), using social media whilst driving (31%) and taking selfies (24%) featuring in the top 20 modern day driving nuisances.
The research was commissioned by Kwik Fit, who polled 2,000 British adult motorists on their top modern day driving irritations, to highlight the importance of being considerate to other drivers. The new research led Kwik Fit to create a witty video looking at modern day road etiquette but with a unique twist. The video shows children in ride-on toy cars in scenes illustrating British motorists’ modern-day pet peeves, such as taking selfies at the wheel, aggressive driving and inconsiderate parking.
Brit's Top 20 Modern Day Driving Irritations
Here are the results of our survey in full to find out what really gets on our wick in 2017:
| Rank | Irritation | % of Drivers |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Tailgating | 57% |
| #2 | Aggressive driving | 55% |
| #3 | Not indicating | 53% |
| #4 | Inconsiderate parking | 50% |
| #5 | Texting at the wheel | 47% |
| #6 | Lack of courtesy (saying thank you to fellow road users) | 46% |
| #7 | Changing lanes at the last second | 45% |
| #8 | Littering - throwing junk out of the window | 43% |
| #9 | Hogging the middle lane | 41% |
| #10 | Last minute braking | 40% |
| #11 | Dawdling drivers | 32% |
| #12 | Using social media whilst driving | 31% |
| #13 | Undertaking | 30% |
| #14 | Speeding | 30% |
| #15 | Not obeying the 'right of way' signs | 29% |
| #16 | Not letting other cars in a lane | 28% |
| #17 | Horn-happy drivers e.g. beeping the horn at traffic lights | 27% |
| #18 | Not giving pedestrians right of way at a zebra crossing | 25% |
| #19 | Taking selfies while in traffic | 24% |
| #20 | Road users being rude to cyclists | 19% |
Over half (56%) of respondents admitted to airing their road rage by shouting and/ or screaming at road users, whilst a third (33%) agreed that they had ‘flipped the bird’ to show their frustration at other drivers.
Nine in ten (93%) Brits believe that other drivers are usually oblivious to other road users, and nine in ten (95%) respondents believed themselves to be respectful road users.
Results revealed that four in ten (40%) women admitted that their worst habit was eating or drinking behind the wheel, while almost half (48%) of men said speeding.
The majority (90%) of Brits surveyed agreed that their mood for the day improves when a driver is respectful and courteous on the road, such as being let out at a busy junction.
Kwik Fit spokesperson Roger Griggs said: “Our study into what grinds the gears of British motorists reveals that being courteous and respectful to fellow road users is extremely important to making everyone’s journey a pleasant experience.
“Our latest road etiquette video featuring children on toy ride-on cars has been created to highlight the importance of road safety and whilst this is being delivered in an entertaining way there is a serious message at its heart.”
Over half (56%) of respondents believe the city of London has the most disrespectful road users, followed by Birmingham (16%) and Manchester (12%). Londoners couldn’t escape the heat, as they were also found to be the top region for most disrespectful drivers by a mile (58%).
Kwik Fit donated the ride-on cars which were used in the filming of the video to charity Rays of Sunshine. Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity brightens up the lives of seriously ill children across the UK aged three to 18 years old by granting wishes, granting hospital ward wishes and organising outings and large scale events.
Notes to editors
About Kwik Fit
Notes to editors
About Kwik Fit
Established in 1971, the Kwik Fit Group is one of the largest independent automotive parts, repair and replacement specialists in the world. Kwik Fit has over 600 service centres across the UK and more than 200 mobile tyre fitting vehicles, making it the UK’s leading tyre, exhaust, brake and MoT specialist. Details of its range of products and services can be found at kwik-fit.com
For further information please contact:
Sam Corry/Frankie Allen/Eleanor Carter
Taylor Herring PR
Tel: 0208 206 5151
