British Drivers Found Safest in Europe

A Europe-wide 'Road Behaviour survey' conducted by AXA insurance interviewed 800 drivers from nine European countries. The results indicated that 92% of British drivers feel safe on the roads whereas the European average is 72%.

About half of the British drivers surveyed believed that law enforcement was stricter on British roads.

The study showed that 3 out of 4 British drivers thought they were good drivers and around 64% also believed that they were better drivers than other European drivers.

Britain is remarkable as it has one of the lowest rates of road-deaths with around 5.4 in 10,000 road users being killed each year. This is slightly worse than Switzerland but better than Germany. While these three countries have excellent road safety scores they also present high fatality rates in the 18-24 age group.

There were some interesting differences of opinion between British drivers and those from other countries. 92% of Britons think that answering a mobile telephone without a hands-free set was dangerous compared with 85% from other countries. Also, 95% of Britons agreed that driving fast while close to the vehicle in front was dangerous whereas around 90% of drivers from other European countries agreed. Similarly, 92% of British drivers agreed that drunk driving was dangerous whereas only 85% of other European drivers agreed.

The survey also indicated that most British drivers would support the introduction of automatic in-built sensors that would enforce speed limit restrictions and, although they are often the source of complaints, speed cameras were recognised as a valuable means to reduce the seriousness of accidents.

A spokesperson commented that British drivers clearly put safety high on their list of priorities compared with other European drivers. Drivers from Britain would welcome technological enhancements that would make the roads safer. It will not be long before all new vehicles will be fitted with automatic sensors and controls that will detect the current speed limit and restrict the attainable top speed.

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