This annoying and dangerous habit is the single biggest stress for British drivers – and it could cost you £100 and three penalty points
Drivers are made most anxious by tailgaters - and the dangerous habit could see you slapped with a fine or even cause an accident
THE irritating habit causing drivers the most stress on the road has been revealed - and it could prove costly for anyone who does it.
Tailgating was identified as the biggest cause of anxiety for motorists, according to a recent study.
But anyone caught driving too close to another vehicle can be slapped with a £100 fine and three penalty points on their licence.
Tailgating was also revealed as the cause for one in eight casualties on the road each year, leaving more than 100 people dead or injured.
More than half of drivers labelled the dangerous habit as their biggest stress as part of a study by insurers Swinton Group to find out what made Brits uncomfortable on the road.
Bad weather was voted top for 35 per cent of drivers, while another one in three admitted to being wound up by cyclists on the road.
The top 10 driving stressors
- Being tailgated (i.e. another driver being very close behind me)
- Poor driving decisions by other drivers (e.g. speeding)
- Bad road surfaces (e.g. potholes)
- Winding lanes with blind bends (i.e. bends I cannot easily see around)
- Bad weather (e.g. heavy rain etc.)
- Passing cyclists on the road
- A lack of road lighting
- It being too sunny (i.e. sun shining in my eyes when driving)
- Passing horses on the road
- Passing tractors on the road
Almost 40 per cent of motorists said their biggest stress trigger is driving on a winding lane with blind bends, while 24 per cent can’t deal with passing tractors.
Swinton Group has now teamed up with road safety charity IAM RoadSmart on a campaign to remind drivers of their road manners in a bid to reduce stress on Britain’s roads this winter.
Anne Kirk of Swinton said: “We see a sharp increase in calls to our customer service team each year from October and throughout the winter period as drivers navigate tougher driving conditions and busier roads.
''We know that stressed drivers can contribute to accidents, and we want to play our part in helping reduce the likelihood of incidents on the road.”
Rebecca Ashton, head of driving behaviours at IAM RoadSmart, said: “The behaviour of others on the road has a significant impact on the stress levels felt by motorists, so we’re encouraging drivers to remember their road manners.
“Stress can affect how we feel physically and emotionally and, as a result, can impair our judgement and our reactions.
“Courtesy costs nothing, and tailgating or making sudden decisions, like braking and swerving, will frustrate other drivers and distract you.
“Aggressive driving is not safe, so if you feel agitated, you should always stop driving.”
the road laws you need to know
To demonstrate how easily stress can build up on the road, TV and radio presenter Gethin Jones was tested by IAM RoadSmart on six top driving stressors to see how he’d cope.
Gethin said: “I like to think of myself as a good driver, but my ability to stay safe was completely compromised when I was distracted by things like tailgating.
“It’s been an eye opener to see just how stressed out it made me feel and how it resulted in me making some really silly mistakes.
“Obviously in a test environment it wasn’t a big risk, but out on the road could be another story.”