"Are We There Yet?" Ask Britain's Bored Drivers
LONDON, November 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
- 28 million[1](76%)drivers are bored behind the wheel
- More than half of drivers (55%) believe boredom affects their concentration
- M25 voted Britain's dullest drive
Over three quarters (76%) of drivers are bored behind the wheel causing half (55%) of them to lose concentration according to research from the Secret Lives of Cars campaign by Allianz Your Cover Insurance (http://www.yourcoverinsurance.co.uk).
Down-beat drivers in Worcester (34%) have ranked the city's roads as the most boring in Britain, followed by Chelmsford (23%) and Plymouth (23%). The M25 won the race for Britain's most boring motorway (18%), swiftly followed by the M1 (15%) and the M6 (12%).
But boredom is only the tip of the pile-up when British motorists take a critical look at their commute. Other awful aspects driving motorists round the bend include:
- Traffic jams (69%)
- Other drivers (34%)
- Poor road surfaces e.g. potholes (26%)
- Speed cameras (23%)
- Rush hour (18%)
Of these driver drones, motorists over the age of 55 were three times more likely to be sent potty by potholes (43%) than drivers aged 18-24 (14%).
Jon Lott of Allianz Your Cover Insurance said: "The Secret Lives of Cars campaign aims to discover what motorists do and don't enjoy about their journeys across the UK. We've found it interesting to see how different roads across the UK affect motorists. Swansea motorists report there are always traffic jams on the roads (36%), drivers in Wrexham complain about caravans (50%) and Edinburgh has poor signage problems according to 21% of the drivers we polled."
Allianz Your Cover Insurance found that to battle boredom, drivers are listening (61%) and singing along (38%) to music and eating snacks (16%). When asked which British motoring celebrity would drivers most like to take for a spin Top Gear presenters came out on top with one in five men (19%) opting for Jeremy Clarkson as their perfect passenger while women preferred Richard Hammond (17%).
When questioned how British motorists would design roads to banish their boredom 'No traffic jams' featured highly (48%) with good road surfaces (45%) and good scenery (39%) following close behind.
Of these findings, drivers aged 18-24 were twice as likely (13%) to design a road to drive on with no police than drivers aged over 55 (6%). One in ten male drivers wanted to see higher speed limits when designing a road to drive on, which equates to two million[2] motorists.
Jon Lott continues, "This research has highlighted that feeling bored behind the wheel can affect the concentration levels of drivers and so we would advise motorists to plan regular breaks and maybe open up the window to get some fresh air in the car to stay alert. Snacking whilst driving can divert attention from the road, so to keep safe we would always recommend stopping for short refreshment breaks."
Notes to Editors
1,000 UK car drivers were polled in October 2012 by 72 Point on behalf of Allianz Your Cover Insurance.
The statistics were calculated using figures from the DVLA in July 2012. There are 37,420,530 drivers in the UK with a full GB driving licence. This figure includes 20,454,939 male drivers and 16,965,591 drivers.
[1] 76% of UK drivers reported to be bored when driving. There are 37,420,530 drivers in the UK with a full GB driving licence according to statistics from the DVLA in July 2012. This equates to 28,364,762 drivers.
[2] 10% of UK male drivers polled chose for there to be no speed limit when asked how they would design a road to drive on. There are 20,454,939 male drivers in the UK with a full GB driving licence according to figures from the DVLA in July 2012. This equates to 2,045,494 drivers.
About Your Cover
Your Cover is a new breed of insurance product, offering cover that customers select to precisely match their own lifestyle and circumstances. Using an easy to use 'Quote and Buy' website, Your Cover makes it simple to design, obtain a quote and manage your insurance online.
The result of two years' research involving thousands of insurance buyers, Your Cover is a product from Allianz Insurance plc, which is a part of the global Allianz Group.
About Allianz
Allianz Insurance is one of the largest general insurers in the UK and part of the Allianz SE Group, one of the leading integrated financial services providers worldwide and the largest property and casualty insurer in the world. With approximately 142,000 employees worldwide, the Allianz Group serves approximately 78 million customers in more than 70 countries.
The mission of Allianz Insurance is to be the outstanding competitor in our chosen markets by delivering products and services that out clients recommend, being a great company to work for and achieving the best combination of profit and growth.
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