Road Rage Is A Leading Cause Of Road Deaths In The UK

Written By: Padraig Kelly on September 16, 2010 No Comment

In Britain, almost 800 lives are being lost every year through road rage incidents and disrespectful driving. This is a very high figure for such an avoidable cause. This stat was discovered in a report by AXA insurance UK. That report also highlighted that 1 billion (945m) worth of insurance premium was lost due to these incidents. If people could just calm down on the roads then many lives could be saved and it would make things cheaper for everyone too.

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, read the AXA report and had the following comments to make “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 driving, the factors that give rise to uncharacteristic belligerence and sheer bloody-mindedness, we may never be able to reduce much further the amount of people who die unnecessarily on Britain’s highways.”

Road rage and inconsiderate driving cause an increase in your insurance costs. These accidents have to be paid for. The AXA UK study finds that 35 per premium is needed to pay for accidents caused by disrespectful driving. In addition to these costs the UK driver has to cover the cost of uninsured drivers by paying 30 per premium. These stats are for the UK but they would probably relate very closely to what you would find on Irish roads.

To encourage good behaviour on the roads insurance companies must give incentives to good drivers. Drivers who stay calm and drive well will be awarded with up to a 75% No Claims Discount on car insurance with AXA insurance.

A car accident can occur at any time. Make sure that you are fully covered with AXA insurance. We have many competitive policies including cheap young drivers insurance and commercial van insurance