New research by a money saving website in the UK has revealed that as many as fourth fifths of Britons break the law whilst driving, with a quarter of them doing so on a daily basis. According to the study, 71% of drivers who break the law do so by speeding, whilst 47% of drivers who break the law do so by either texting or taking a phone call whilst behind the wheel.
A new poll by a money saving website in the UK has uncovered a potentially worrying trend amongst drivers in Britain; revealing that breaking the law behind the wheel is a common occurrence for many.
www.VoucherCodesPro.co.uk conducted the research to find out more about the habits of those who drive on a daily basis within the UK. 1,651 people aged 18 and over from the UK took part in the study, all of whom drove their cars at least five days a week.
When asked, ‘Do you ever knowingly break the law whilst driving?’ and asked to take into consideration anything illegal that may take their attention away from focusing on the road, the overwhelming majority, 78%, said ‘yes’. The group of respondents who stated that they did break the law whilst driving were then asked in what ways they tended to do so, whether it be running red lights, speeding or a different illegal action.
So, when asked ‘In the last month, have you broken the law whilst driving by doing any of the following?’ and asked to select all answers that applied from the list, the top 5 results were as follows:
1. Speeding – 71%
2. Texting/phoning – 47%
3. Driving without a seatbelt – 41%
4. Eating – 22%
5. Tailgating – 13%
What’s more, 7% of the respondents taking part admitted that they had broken the law whilst driving in the last month by being under the influence of alcohol and over the limit.
When asked how often they broke the law whilst driving, 27% of those who did admitted they did so on a daily basis, whilst 32% admitted they do so at least once a week.
George Charles, spokesperson for VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, said:
“It’s very easy to pick up bad habits whilst driving, but breaking the law whilst driving is particularly dangerous for yourself and those around you. Taking your eyes off the road for even a split-second can result in you losing control of your car and causing an accident.
“We’re not surprised by the results of the study. It’s easy for bad habits to turn into breaking the law. If you’re running late you’re more likely to speed, maybe even text or call ahead to make people aware you’re running late. You may even have to eat your lunch whilst driving between meetings. Sometimes common sense goes out of the window, but hopefully this study will make people think about breaking the law whilst driving, and think twice before doing so again.”
