A new report from AXA UK has highlighted that 800 lives a year are being lost on roads in Britain as a result of either road rage or disrespectful driving.

Nearly £1 billion (£945m) of premium could be saved if motorists in UK just chill-out and ease up on the aggression and general disrespect of their fellow drivers.

According to this nationwide UK survey, that almost four in 10 drivers involved in the 222,100 accidents on British roads every year say they were frightened or angered by other road users in the critical moments before a crash

Of those, more than 20% said inconsiderate driving took the form of speeding; almost 25% said others were driving erratically and more than one in five said another driver had been ignoring road rules and signs.

Peter Marsh, a motoring psychologist, said: “The AXA study highlights clearly the powerful psychological forces at work when we get behind the wheel of a car”

He also adds: “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.”

An interesting point made by AXA UK is that it calculates that around £35 per premium pays for accidents caused by disrespectul driving, and as well as these costs, the British motorist is also paying an estimated £30 per premium for uninsured drivers.

 

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