Bad driving habits revealed

Co-Operative Insurance has released the results of its latest survey revealing the bad driving habits of Britons. Whereas none of the results are particularly revealing, it does provide a good overall picture of what people will do whilst driving even though they know they are putting themselves and others at risk.

Some of the negative behaviours uncovered by the survey included:

• eating whilst driving
• finishing getting dressed when in a rush
• putting on make-up at the wheel

Overall, 3,000 people were polled. Of these, 54% admitted to bad habits whilst driving. In total:

• 53% admit to eating or drinking whilst driving
• 12% smoke behind the wheel
• 11% prepare for meetings
• 7% speak on mobile phones
• 6% put on make-up or get dressed

The survey also looked into the reasons why drivers end up speeding. It discovered that 46% of drivers are prone to speeding when they are late for work, and that 43% of drivers will sometimes go over the speed limit when they are in a bad mood.

Other times when drivers go over the speed limit include when they need the toilet, when they are tired or when they are driving on motorways.

Grant Mitchell from Co-Operative Insurance said that the results show that drivers across the UK are “unnecessarily increasing the chances of causing or being involved in an accident.” He reminded motorists that whilst eating a sandwich may seem like a harmless action, it leads drivers to take their full concentration off driving, which “could result in a road traffic accident which could change lives forever.”