Tuesday, 23 Apr 2024

Motorways, night journeys, roundabouts, and 3-point turns are drivers’ top fears

Millions of motorists dread driving on the motorway, travelling in the dark or simply turning right at a roundabout, a survey has found.

A study of 2,000 UK drivers found one in 10 dislikes or hates driving, with having to change lanes, reversing around a corner, and country roads also making them feel uncomfortable.

Driving in snowy conditions (42%) is most likely to make drivers nervous, followed by navigating a new town or city (32%) and roads with lots of lanes (30%).

Nighttime driving (27%) and wet and rainy conditions (25%) completed the top five most uncomfortable scenarios on the road.

Nearly one in 10 even admitted to being nervous when it comes to turning right at a roundabout while one in 20 fear three-point turns.

The research also revealed that 24% of drivers feel less confident now than before the pandemic, as a result of driving less over the last 18 months, with 16% going as far as to say they have "forgotten" how to drive.

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The stats emerged in a study by flexible car insurance firm Cuvva, which has partnered with YouTube channel DGN Driving School to launch a competition offering rusty drivers the chance to win a free refresher driving lesson.

Cuvva boss Freddy Macnamara said: "Our research reveals there are many nervous drivers across the UK, with Londoners and those from Norwich indexing most highly."

The study also found 29% of drivers try to avoid travelling outside of their local area to stay away from unfamiliar roads.

And a quarter are reluctant to give other people lifts – even if they are going to the same destination – due to their nerves.

Nearly one in five would take a longer route to avoid busy areas while 16% would go further than needed to stay away from motorways.

Others would plan their journey to avoid having to parallel park (12%), dual carriageways (7%) and roundabouts (7%).

Almost a fifth of drivers are also nervous about the prospect of long-distance journeys as the nation prepares for a summer of staycations, with 21% even planning their break around the length of the drive.

The study found 36% think their driving has generally worsened over the last 18 months as they have spent less time on the road.

And even 22% who considered themselves to be confident drivers before the pandemic now feels a little rusty behind the wheel.

As a result, 15% think it took them "weeks" to get back up to speed once they started driving again following the lockdowns.

The study also revealed that 38% wish they were a more confident driver.

Freddy said: "We’re keen to help drivers improve their confidence on the road by better understanding their driving behaviour.

"Cuvva’s new insights feature in the app helps motorists understand how they drive with a unique driving score to help them improve their driving and feel more confident on the road."

Top 25 things drivers feel most uncomfortable doing:

  1. Driving in snowy conditions

  2. Driving in a new town or city

  3. Roads where there are lots of lanes and you need to be in the right one

  4. Driving in the dark

  5. Driving in wet and rainy conditions

  6. Lorries

  7. Overtaking cyclists

  8. Areas where there is lots of traffic

  9. Motorways

  10. Parallel parking

  11. Reverse parking

  12. Areas where there are lots of children (eg, near schools)

  13. Country roads

  14. Roundabouts generally

  15. Areas where there are lots of pedestrians

  16. Changing lanes

  17. Buses

  18. Turning into a road on the right, and having to cross the traffic

  19. Reversing around a corner

  20. Learner drivers

  21. Giving someone else a lift

  22. Having to turn right at a roundabout

  23. Mini roundabouts

  24. Dual carriageways

  25. Having to do a three-point turn

Source: Read Full Article

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