Research carried out by Brake the independent road safety charity inconjuction with Direct Line car insurance has shown rather worrying trends in respect of tired driving despite an estimated five fatalities caused on Britain’s road each year and high numbers of personal injuries.

According to the survey of 800 respondents, over two thirds of those questioned admitted to be tired behind the wheel in the last year. Six years ago the figure was 46%, which is a huge increase. Each week around 10% admitted fatigue.

The consequences when a driver falls asleep at the wheel are all too tragic. Road traffic accidents of this type tend to be at high speed and sometimes involve head on collisions. Government advice on this issue says that motorists should take breaks every two hours on long journeys, however, the survey appears to show that 73% drive for more than 3 hours at a time before taking a break.

Typical unproven methods of trying to keep awake discovered in the survey include opening a window and listening to audio. Brake the independent charity is calling for action from the Government for better motorist education on the issue, increased traffic policing and many other measures to prevent these appalling incidents.

According to Axa car insurance research, there remains widespread ignorance amongst many UK drivers over driving abroad legal requirements in European countries. The problem could be compounded by the fact that there is forecast to be a large influx of motorists heading across the channel because of continuing air travel strikes and volcanic ash disruption.

Amongst the 2,000 respondents in the survey a third revealed that they are unsure as to whether a GB sticker is required. More worryingly nearly a quarter of those questioned could not categorically answer yes to the question regarding whether they were covered to drive abroad by their car insurance policy.

In respect of country specific views, 40% believed wrongly that it is ok to jump red lights in Italy, 37% assumed incorrectly that is fine to overtake on either side of the motorway in Portugal and 22% thought that there was no requirement to carry a reflective jacket and a red triangle in your car in France, which of course is untrue. Other false beliefs included the assumption by 35% of respondents that is ok to use a mobile phone whilst driving in Holland and 62% still think that a green card is required in Belgium.

In respect of limited understanding of a European neighbours motoring regulations, more than half were correct in assuming that there is no upper limit on German motorways, however, not many in the survey were aware that cars with a low top speed of less than 61kpm are restricted from using such roads.

According to the Department for Transport, statistics show that incidents of death and injury for young drivers on Britain’s roads are declining slower than any other age group. In a bid to understand the reasons behind this, Aviva car insurance have commissioned research into young drivers’ behaviour and attitudes, the emerging results of which have revealed some startling findings.

When driving with friends, the character and behaviour of some young drivers appears to alter significantly. For example, that car being driven fast or erratically in a built-up area with the windows down and music being played loudly is more likely to have a young driver at the wheel with all his or her friends on board for the ride than someone older with more driving experience.

Peer pressure is influencing young drivers to the extent that just over 21% of respondents to a survey admit to paying less attention to the road, one quarter deliberately take their hands of the wheel while moving and 15% admit to performing illegal driving manoeuvres. More worryingly, however, is the finding that most parents are unaware of their children’s unacceptable driving habits as nearly all respondents will modify their behaviour by driving more slowly and carefully when a relative is in the car.

Aviva claim that contrary to belief, young drivers car insurance is bought by some simply to cover the costs of damage to the vehicle and nothing else, despite the fact that the company’s claims data reveals otherwise, with personal injuries to the driver and/or passengers responsible for nearly 60% of reported claims.

Every year, thousands of UK motorists drive in France to reach their holiday destination but the AA are warning of a stringent ‘zero tolerance’ inititative that could affect a small percentage of them. If you are driving abroad this summer, French Gendarmes (Police) are routinely testing for drugs following any road accident involving fatalities, personal injuries, speeding offences and even failure to wear a seatbelt, motorcycle helmet or other more minor offences.

Why is this significant?

Unlike in the UK, if a motorist tests positive for any trace of drugs, including cannabis, French courts could impose severe penalties such as a two year prison sentence and a fine of 4,500 Euros. The implications are that drivers using drugs weeks before driving abroad could still test positive for traces of illegal substances. The AA has expressed concerns because 4.6% of 16 to 59 year olds have used cannabis in the last month, according to the British Crime Survey, although it is not understood how many of these are also considering driving in France.

Another fact for consideration by UK drivers is that alcohol limits for driving are set lower in France – for instance a driver testing positive to 50 or more milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood risks a three year prison sentence and a fine of 9,000 Euros. The key message here is that UK courts will prosecute drivers for being impaired whereas French law addresses those who are simply proven to have traces of illegal, or recreational, drugs in their bloodstream, so many UK drivers may need to implement a few lifestyle changes in anticipation of a road trip in or through France.

According to the latest research conducted on behalf of Direct Line Car Insurance, 34% of passengers have willingly travelled as a passenger in a car they suspect is being driven by a drunk driver. The research was carried out by Opinium Research who carried out an online poll of 2,359 adults living in the UK.

More worryingly was the fact that, according to additional findings, 34% of those passengers were willing to go a step further and act as either a look out for police, speed cameras and road conditions for the duration of the car journey. The age group revealed to be most likely to behave in this manner were 18 to 34 olds, with a whopping 40% admitting to having assisted drunk drivers in these ways whereas the age group most content to simply travel in the car as a passive passenger were the over 55’s.

With over 50 individuals every week either injured or suffering fatalities as a result of drink driving, the message from Direct Line is that accidents can be avoided if potential passengers take an active stance to discourage potential drink driving. This may seem obvious to many consciencious motorists, but if those complicit in assisting drivers who are intoxicated fully understood the dangers to themselves and others, there may be far fewer drink drivers. What is not apparent from the survey is the percentage of those passengers who were also intoxicated, but then, on a more positive note, 1 in 12 passengers have taken the car keys to prevent someone who has been drinking from driving home.