Are you concerned about driving on Britain’s roads? Survey reveals the thoughts of the nation

10th Aug 2022

According to new research from independent road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, drivers are growing increasingly worried about driving on Britain’s roads – with Smart Motorways the most concerning.

The survey of 1,004 motorists, revealed that 60% of respondents are worried about getting behind the wheel, in some form.

This potentially represents 24 million drivers of the 40 million full driving licence holders in the UK.

In term of the type of roads, 33% of those surveyed reported that they are most worried about driving on smart motorways, making them the road type motorists fear driving on the most, by some distance.

This compares starkly with the 6% of drivers who are worried about motorways with a hard shoulder.

Only 14% of drivers stated that they are worried about driving on rural or countryside single carriage way roads, despite the fact that most road related deaths occur on them.

Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research at IAM RoadSmart, said: “Our research has laid bare the staggering number of people who feel worried about driving on Britain’s roads. We would encourage drivers to do all they can to re-educate themselves, especially during National Road Victim Month, on how to navigate the unique challenges and considerations each road type presents.”

On the survey's smart motorways findings, Neil added: “While statistics may well show that smart motorways have fewer fatal crashes than conventional motorways, our research shows that far too many drivers still don’t feel safe on them.

“Moving forward, it is vital that National Highways up their efforts to keep the public informed and continue to raise awareness of how to drive safely on smart motorways.

“It is also clear that awareness needs to be raised about the risks of rural roads. Far from being a pleasant drive in the countryside, these are the type of roads which can punish mistakes with death and injury.”

What type of road are you most worried about driving on?

Smart motorways	33%
Rural/country single carriageway roads	14%
Motorways with hard shoulders	6%
Dual carriageways	4%
One-way streets	3%
Not worried/I don’t know	40%

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