Bedford Driving Lessons

A new report from leading UK insurer, AXA, calculates that 800 lives are lost on Britain’s roads through accidents caused by road rage or disrespectful driving, and nearly £1 billion (£945m) of premium could be saved if British motorists were to rid themselves of the aggression and general disrespect of their fellow drivers that is commonplace on our roads. AXA has launched findings of a report this week that illustrate the extent to which road rage or ‘disrespect’ on the UK’s roads costs drivers in terms of numbers of deaths a year. The nationwide independent survey reveals that almost four in ten drivers involved in the 222,100 accidents on British roads ever year say they were frightened or angered by other drivers in the critical moments before a crash. Of those, more than 20% said the inconsiderate driving had come in the form of speeding, almost a quarter said that others were driving erratically, and more than one in five said another driver had been ignoring road rules and signs. The calculations are based on research that shows 35% of drivers involved in more serious and costly accidents (those with a ‘personal injury’ element where someone is either killed or injured) were either made angry or frightened by another driver’s behaviour moments before the accident. Put simply, if these drivers were to drive better and more considerately then the number of deaths and premiums would come down. According to motoring psychologist, Peter Marsh, disrespectful, aggressive driving can be the cause of an accident in itself but also the negative emotions created by this type of driving can cause other drivers to become irrational and make mistakes they would otherwise not make. He said “The AXA study highlights clearly the powerful psychological forces at work when we get behind the wheel of a car. Our cars may be safer than before and our roads increasingly designed to reduce accidents but unless we recognise and deal with the strong emotional aspects of motoring, the factors that give rise to uncharacteristic belligerence and sheer bloody-mindedness, we may never be able to reduce much further the number of people who die unnecessarily on Britain’s highways.” More