Lack of focus when behind the wheel can prove catastrophic, yet drivers continue to be distracted, make mistakes and put themselves and other road users at risk. A new survey from Venson Automotive Solutions found that drivers admit to making a wide range of careless habits daily, including hogging the middle lane, running red lights and speeding.
Key findings:
- 71% go against the Highway Code[i] to use their headlights to signal to other drivers
- 54% confessed to regular sudden braking
- 48% admit to speeding
- 46% hog the middle lane on motorways
- 44% drive too slowly
- 37% admit to being distracted by their satnav or mobile phone occasionally
Potential penalties for careless driving[ii]
- Driving deemed to be ‘Careless and inconsiderate’ can draw unlimited fines and 3-9 points
- Using a hand-held mobile phone risks £1,000-£2,500 fine and 6 points
- Speeding fines can reach £1,000 on most roads or £2,500 on motorways as well as 3-6 points
- Traffic light offences could result in a fine of up to £1,000 and 3 points
- Any of these careless habits could result in the driver being disqualified
“Drivers who are unfamiliar with the details of the Highway Code may be surprised to learn that they risk a £1,000 fine for flashing their headlights to signal to another vehicle for any reason other than to highlight their presence,” comments Simon Staton, Client Management Director for Venson Automotive Solutions.
“With an estimated 14 million grey fleet drivers and nearly 2 million true fleet drivers on the UK’s roads, businesses operating fleets should be particularly concerned by our survey findings. The risks businesses are exposed to by careless driving of employees are significant. Working together with Fleet managers, senior management teams within organisations must help enforce a robust policy and processes to ensure drivers not only keep their Highway Code knowledge fresh and up to date, brushing up on existing rules and understanding any changes but also that persistent offenders are highlighted and bad behaviours managed accordingly.
“Having drivers fully aware of the Duty of Care to themselves, their employer, other road users and pedestrians, should help them to understand how to reduce the risk of incurring significant financial penalties, avoiding significant harm to others and limiting the risk of losing their licence. All of these will impact business efficiencies and could even end up with a custodial sentence for a company director should a serious incident occur.”
Hogging the middle lane or tailgating are common high-risk problems on UK motorways, so much so that National Highways has launched a campaign – Keep a safe distance – specifically targeting these issues[iii]. Close to half of the Venson survey respondents admitted to hogging the middle lane, and 12% confessed to tailgating. Worryingly, a survey commissioned by National Highways found that these behaviours can seriously affect other drivers: lane hogging was among the behaviours most likely to cause frustration for motorists, while tailgating was among the most likely to make drivers feel anxious, stressed or unsafe.
Simon Staton concludes: “Careless driving not only risks directly causing a collision, but it can increase stress for other drivers and therefore cause them to be distracted and more likely to cause a collision themselves. Increasing driver focus and reducing bad habits through driver training and awareness campaigns will help improve safety and reduce risk for all road users.”
[i]The Highway Code General rules, techniques and advice for all drivers and riders 110 https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/other-stopping-procedures.html
[ii] The Highway Code Penalty Table https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/penalty-table.html
[iii] New National Highways campaign urges lane hoggers and tailgaters to change their driving style