6.3 Safety

Over the years motorists have said driving is getting less safe and this trend continues. Almost three quarters now say motoring is less safe than it was 10 years ago, despite the number of fatalities on the roads dropping significantly over this period. Women and motorists aged over 65 are more likely to feel this than other groups.

So what can be done to improve motorists' perception of safety and security on the roads?

Two fifths would like the Government to focus more on prosecuting dangerous drivers than banning in-car activities. This view was most strongly held by 17-24 year olds reinforcing their views of the acceptability of certain in-car activities. Three in ten motorists think the Government should do whatever it takes to improve road safety, even if it means restricting what they can do while driving and how fast they can go. This was least popular with younger drivers at just 22% and most popular with the over 65s at 34%.

One in five motorists think the Government should do whatever it takes to improve road safety but stop short of further bans on what can be done while driving. This was most popular with young drivers at 28% and least favoured by the oldest drivers at 18%.

6.4 On the road

6.2 The law