It is probably safe to say that the average person never gets in the car with the intention of causing accidents, yet if you own a car it is statistically likely that you will be guilty of one or more of the findings in a survey conducted by Motors.Co.Uk

“90% of parents still can’t stop swearing or beeping horn aggressively”

This behaviour is simply unacceptable. These people – a frighteningly overwhelming majority – should understand that the world does not revolve around them. Being a more polite driver will help you keep you safe and will help keep others in a more peaceful state of mind and help make the roads safer places to be. Road rage is not only pointless, but dangerous.

“70% said they would still drive over 30mph in built up areas”

According to the website of anti-speeding campaign, Think! 3267 people were seriously injured or even killed in 2011 as a result traffic collisions caused primarily by speeding vehicles. Despite the fact that the law prohibits vehicles from going faster than the speed limit of the particular road upon which they are driving, this statistic shows that very few take the 30 limit seriously and can often be found driving up to twice as fast as the legal limit. Considering the fact that the risk of a pedestrian dying is four times greater at 40mph than at 30mph, this is clearly a cause for concern.

“Three quarters of people would still speed on motorways with children on board”

If it isn’t obvious by now, speed kills! The faster you drive, the more you increase your chances of serious injury or death, as well as that of others. Every single day of the year sees another person die in a fatal car crash in which speed was a contributing factor. To illustrate this point, it is worth noting that a crash at 78 mph will likely cause twice as much damage as a crash would at 55mph – be safe and slow down!

“7 in 10 people would still answer their phones without hands free”

Despite being outlawed, this is still proving to be a major cause of traffic collisions that could have otherwise been avoidable and it comes as a major concern that motors.co.uk has unearthed this information. This is because driving with a mobile phone in hand reduces reaction time to the same level as if the driver were at the legal limit for alcohol consumption while driving (80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood).While hands-free units do reduce the risk somewhat, they still provide an unnecessary distraction. Consequently, it would be significantly safer to avoid using the phone altogether.

“The same number would also jump a red light”

This is just ridiculous when you consider that every driver must have some knowledge of the Highway Code in order to be legally allowed to drive and it with this in mind that the dangers of running a red light do not need to be spelled out here. The maximum penalty for running a red light is £1000 and this is the case because doing so is highly dangerous to yourself, other drivers and to pedestrians.