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Mobile phone fears top Maxxis driver safety survey

In the midst of National Road Safety Week, we asked our vast social media following what driver behaviour concerns them most on UK roads. Using this information, we have revealed some of the most common bug bears, having received plenty of feedback.

Over half (51.3%) of all respondents stated that drivers talking, texting or browsing the internet on smart phones was their biggest concern. Sharing a road with motorists driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol also presented clear concern for one in three of those surveyed (35.4%), whose answers confirmed this behaviour topped their list of road safety worries. 

Almost one in eight (7.6%) UK drivers surveyed by Maxxis noted that drivers who fail to adapt their driving speed, style or distance during weather hazards, such as heavy rain, snow and ice, was among their biggest driver behaviour concern; while the remaining 5.7%, sighted speeding as their biggest problem when it comes to sharing the road with other motorists.

This year’s National Road Safety Week theme is Make The Brake Pledge and aims to educate motorists about the impact driver behaviour can have on levels of safety on the UK’s roads. Brake, the charity behind the awareness week, notes that up to five people are killed on UK roads each week by preventable accidents caused by poor choices made by motorists, such as mobile phone use or speeding.

As such, the charity is asking all drivers to make the Brake Pledge and commit to slow, sober, secure, silent (no mobile phones), sharp and sustainable driving throughout the week and beyond.

Commenting on the findings and why the week is so important, Derek McMartin, managing director of Maxxis, said: “Road Safety Week is the perfect time to take a step back and look at the way we drive day in day out. What may seem like relatively harmless bad habits, like exceeding the speed limit or checking emails on a smart phone, could result in devastating consequences for ourselves and other road users. That’s a sobering thought and one that Brake is doing a fantastic job of hammering home to motorists up and down the country.

“Unsurprisingly, our survey confirmed that drivers who use mobile phones behind the wheel tops the list of road safety concerns. With increased awareness of the dangers using a mobile phone at the wheel presents, along with harsher punishments for motorists caught using their phones while driving, hopefully by next year’s Road Safety Week, using a handheld device while driving will be far less prolific.

“We’ll be sharing fast facts and top tips with our thousands of social media followers throughout Road Safety Week, to help our fans and followers make the Brake Pledge and help make UK roads safer for everyone.”

For more information about Road Safety Week (21-27 November 2016), please visit: http://www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk/our-theme