Driven to distraction

I have a membership of one of the largest groups in the UK.

It is not an exclusive club, although may be heading that way in the future.

I have actually been signed up since the early 1980's and have participated in its core activity just about every day since.

I am referring to the fraternity of motorists which in this country accounts for around 40 million participants.

So what are the thoughts, concerns and hopes for what is actually a very disparate membership? 

If you think about it the group encompasses all ages from those whose first venturing out onto the nations' roads  is on a scooter/moped through to those in their very senior years. The oldest driver in the UK is reputed to be 103 years old (and with, he claims, a clean licence over 8 decades of driving).

The 2018 Survey of 1800 motorists by the Royal Automobile Club has produced the following results in a broad range of issues.

Some 42% of those questioned are worried about the condition and maintenance of their local roads which represents a significant rise from the previous years opinion. A huge 66% said that there had been a noticeable deterioration in the condition of their regularly travelled roads and 40% from those who used major routes. The answer to this issue according to 83% of the survey is to ring fence some of the funds from motoring taxes for essential works to improve the driving surface.

The poor infrastructure of public transport services has been blamed for an increase in the reliance on private cars with one third of motorists being wholly dependent on their vehicle from everyday journeys. Continued frustration over rail timetables and increasing fares mean that 62% of motorists in work use their car for commuting.

In spite of major campaigns to emphasise the health and anti-traffic congestion benefits of school children walking or cycling to school some 61% of motorists with school age children drive to the drop off point and two thirds of this number continue on with another journey.

Out on the roads there is still high use of mobile phones whilst driving. This is in spite of the sanctions of stiffer penalties that have been introduced in the last couple of years.

Road rage worries a relatively low percentage of the sampled drivers at 28% which suggests that aggressive behaviour behind the wheel is to be expected on increasingly busy roads.

Drink driving has, unfortunately. risen to its highest level in recent years and appears to be a regular habit of a hard core element of road users. There are no figures in the RAC research about views on drug driving which from media and anecdotal evidence is perceived to be on the increase.

The chances of getting away with breaking drink driving and other motoring laws is attributed, by 68% of the survey, to the scarcity of a police presence to enforce them.

The impression of a certain lawlessness and enhanced risk of an accident or incident on the roads is not however reflected in increased insurance premiums with 10% of motorists saying that these have decreased in  the previous 12 month period.

The battle between drivers and those managing and overseeing parking facilities has not abated with more than half of the survey respondents seeing an uplift in parking charges. This is unlikely to change as in many towns and cities the income from car parks is relied upon by cash strapped Local Authorities.

Consistent with the impression of overcrowded roads and bad tempered users there is a high percentage of motorists who admit to frequently or occasionally breaking the speed limit on a Motorway and one fifth of those questioned have been caught speeding in the last 10 years. There is support for speed awareness course for those who opt for this after being caught.

The Environment is a hot topic with the capacity for vehicles to pollute with emissions and noise but this is not reflected in the opinion of the sampled drivers with only 12% expressing the impact of motoring on the environment as a concern.

The continued dominance of diesel engines is supported by a 52% nucleus who feel that diesel owners are being unfairly targeted by Government. Furthermore, 47% of the survey are unsure whether diesel vehicles are on the way out.

There is however a consensus amongst drivers that more information is needed about lower emission vehicle availability linked to greater financial incentives for the take up of alternatives to fossil fuels. There is a criticism that there is no joined up thinking in State Policy about all aspects of private and public transport.

A significant proportion of drivers are confused about what car to buy next when faced by mixed messages and media based contradictions on the environmental impact of the motor car.

Surprisingly for all of the hype and speculation about the future of vehicle propulsion methods only 10% expect to choose a hybrid or electric car as their next purchase. This shows a serious lack of available and persuasive information by Government and Manufacturers.

The respondents want to see parity in pricing between all fuel options where currently alternative powered vehicles command a premium price  and are concerned about the low current mileage range of hybrid and electric cars particularly in view of a very patchy network to date of charging points.

It appears that persuading and facilitating drivers to go to low emissions vehicles is at least a 10 to 15 year project.

The Top Ten of overall concerns can be summarised as follows;

10- Drivers under the influence of drugs (up from previous years), 9-Drivers breaking traffic laws (down from 2016-17), 8- Traffic congestion and slower journeys (downward trend), 7-drivers without insurance (lower), 6- Insurance costs (down) , 5- Drink drivers (up from last two years), 4- Road Rage (significant increase), 3- Fuel Costs (slight increase), 2- Phone use when driving (slight decrease), and 1- Condition of roads (major increase).

In all, the UK motorist continues to feel under attack , exploited on costs, subject to the bad and anti-social behaviour of other road users and ill informed by Government and Policy Makers.

(Source- Executive Summary of the 2018 RAC Report on Motoring)