21st November 2005
UK motorists are causing mayhem and unnecessary traffic problems by driving miles out of their way because of their fears of breaking down on the motorway according to new research from Direct Line Breakdown.
Close to one in five (18 per cent) of female British motorists fear breaking down on the motorway so much so that over two million of them refuse to drive on M roads, resulting in driving an extra 384 miles per year each.
During the past 12 months, over a million motorists have broken down on a motorway and worries about doing so are well founded as these breakdowns have resulted in more than 94,000** accidents or near misses on the hard shoulder.
One of the biggest causes of worry surrounding motorway breakdown is not knowing what to do if it happens to you, the Direct Line research reveals.
More than one in 10 (14 per cent) drivers impulsively exit from the drivers’ door – and into oncoming traffic – rather than correctly exiting from the passenger side.
Similarly, despite the proximity of high-speed traffic, over one in four (28 per cent) men will court trouble by attempting to fix their car on the hard shoulder.
And when trouble strikes eight in 10 (82 per cent) drivers use their mobile phone to call for help. However if a roadside telephone is within safe walking distance it is best to use that rather than a mobile as the emergency services will immediately be able to locate where you are and rescue you quicker. If a roadside phone or a motorway marker (numbers painted on the ground) are not close by use a mobile phone from the grassy bank and try to give as precise location as possible to make it easy for the breakdown services to find you.
Emma Holyer, Direct Line’s Motor spokesperson, said:
“In the panic of breaking down on the motorway, one in 10 drivers forget to switch on their hazard lights and over 300,000*** motorists admitted they would wave down fellow drivers from the side of the road for assistance. Not only would this very distracting but motorists breaking suddenly – particularly at high speeds – is a common cause of accidents on the motorway.
“If your car does breakdown don’t panic – try to coast onto the hard shoulder and get out of the car on the left-hand side before dialling the breakdown services.”
More than one in five (21 per cent) drivers will wait for breakdown recovery next to or inside their vehicle, with over a third (35 per cent) believing it’s the correct place to stay – yet other cars shunting broken down vehicles is a common accident on M roads and a major cause of whiplash injuries.
Motorists’ top reasons for worrying about a motorway breakdown include:
- Feeling vulnerable (45 per cent)
- Feeling scared of having a car accident (26 per cent)
- Panicking due to the proximity of high-speed cars (11 per cent)
Direct Line offers the following tips on what to do if you do break down:
1. If you can - leave the motorway at the next exit
2. If you are unable to leave the motorway pull onto the hard shoulder and stop as near to an emergency telephone as possible. (Emergency telephones are free and are situated every half mile)
3. Ask people to exit the car by the left-hand door and move onto the banking. If moving to the banking is not practical, remain in the car, moving to the passenger side if you can
4. Leave any animals inside the vehicle
5. Do NOT try to fix your car yourself, not even changing a wheel
Call the emergency services, using a roadside emergency telephone rather than a mobile phone – as this will enable the recovery service to locate your exact position much more quickly, and will also alert the police to your position
-ends-
Notes to Editors:
The research was carried out on behalf of Direct Line Breakdown by YouGov. A nationally representative sample of 1,791 UK drivers were questioned online between 27th to 29th September 2005. *There are 14 million female drivers in the UK (Census data, 2001) and according to the YouGov findings 18 per cent of female drivers boycott motorways because they don’t want to experience a motorway breakdown. 0.18 x 14,000,000= 2,520,000. On average female drivers will drive 32 miles per month or 384 miles per year in order to avoid motorways. 384 x 2,520,000 = 967,680,000 miles.
**There are 33.8 million drivers in the UK (Census data, 2001) and according to the YouGov findings four per cent of drivers have broken down on the motorway in the past 12 months. 0.04 x 33,809,493= 1,352,379 and of these seven per cent have had an accident or near miss in the past year on the hard shoulder 0.07 x 1,352,379 = 94,666 accidents.
***There are 33.8 million drivers in the UK (Census data, 2001) and according to the YouGov findings one per cent of drivers will flag down a motorist to help following a breakdown on the motorway. 0.01 x 33,809,493= 338,094.
REGIONAL DATA
| REGION |
How drivers would feel if they broke down on the motorway |
Percentage of motorists who would try to fix their vehicle themselves on the hard shoulder |
Percentage of motorists who would exit their car from the incorrect door |
Percentage of motorists who would wait in the incorrect place for the recovery service |
| NATIONAL |
Vulnerable(45 per cent) |
17 per cent |
14 per cent |
21 per cent |
| LONDON |
Vulnerable (47 per cent) |
17 per cent |
19 per cent |
26 per cent |
| MIDLANDS |
Vulnerable(49 per cent) |
18 per cent |
10 per cent |
16 per cent |
| EAST ANGLIA |
Vulnerable (51 per cent) |
Nine per cent |
Nine per cent |
21 per cent |
| WALES |
Vulnerable (50 per cent) |
19 per cent |
11 per cent |
17 per cent |
| SOUTH WEST |
Vulnerable (40 per cent) |
13 per cent |
Seven per cent |
22 per cent |
| SOUTH |
Vulnerable(42 per cent) |
22 per cent |
13 per cent |
16 per cent |
| LANCASHIRE |
Vulnerable(39 per cent) |
17 per cent |
26 per cent |
25 per cent |
| NORTH EAST |
Vulnerable(42 per cent) |
19 per cent |
17 per cent |
28 per cent |
| YORKSHIRE |
Vulnerable(43 per cent) |
15 per cent |
16 per cent |
27 per cent |
| CENTRAL SCOTLAND |
Vulnerable(46 per cent) |
20 per cent |
14 per cent |
19 per cent |
| NORTH SCOTLAND |
Vulnerable(53 per cent) |
17 per cent |
15 per cent |
26 per cent |
For further information: Emma Holyer, Direct Line Press Office
Tel: 0845 878 2182 Email: emma.holyer@directline.com
Direct Line Insurance plc, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Calls may be recorded. Conditions apply.
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