Filed under: Latest News
Rolf Vennenbernd/DPA
The annual AXA Motoring Census report unveiled that just two thirds (69 per cent) of UK motorists apologise by holding their hand up in the direction of the other driver as an apology, while a minority flash their indicators (9 per cent) or shout "sorry" out of the window (11 per cent).
Meanwhile, one in ten motorists (10 per cent) stated that they make no apology whatsoever after making a mistake which affects another driver.
Motorists in the East Midlands seem to be the friendliest bunch, where 98 per cent of drivers said they would offer some kind of apology.
Drivers over the age of 55 were found to be most likely to apologise for a mistake (93 per cent), suggesting that manners may simply be a thing that comes with age. This is supported by a relative lack of manners in younger motorists: 13 per cent of drivers under the age of 34 admit that they never apologise.
The research also highlighted a lack of courtesy in other areas: for example, one in twenty UK drivers (5 per cent) do not bother to indicate at all. Unsurprisingly, the results also showed that stress levels rise when other drivers do not show courtesy to their fellow road users, and motorists cited bad habits such as driving too close to the car in front as being major contributors to anxiety on the road.
Below are the top 5 common mistakes that irk motorists the most:
1 Driving over the speed limit in urban areas (33.60%)
2 Failing to indicate at a roundabout (16.40%)
3 Passing through traffic lights when orange or red (13.45%)
4 Failing to indicate in general (12.15%)
5 Using horn out of frustration, rather than for proper warning purposes (11.50%)