Wednesday 7th April 2004

Confident Driver?

Let's not lose sight of what makes a good driver...

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Norwich Union have just published the results of their 'Crash Index' survey and are grabbing headlines with the data revealed.

The results show that 93% of the respondants claimed to be very confident behind the wheel. 75% of that 93% have had an accident according to the researchers.

Julian Lowe, actuarial director at Norwich Union, who has compiled the Crash Index, commented: "No one likes to admit they are a bad driver, but we've been startled by motorist s' misplaced confidence on the roads. Cocky drivers are a real menace as they often regard good driving as the ability to master the controls of the car at higher speeds. Our claims data reveals just how common car collisions really are and how we quickly forget the skills and safety guidelines needed to obtain a driving licence."

Curiously Mr Lowe has chosen to interpret confidence as cockyness and that somehow this is directly related to high speeds. The simple fact is that confident or not - too many people have crashes.  Being confident is not the same as being complacent.

Other findings from The Norwich Union Crash Index include:

• The majority of car collisions [65%] take place within a mile of a driver's home address
• You are most likely to be involved in a car collision at a junction or on a country road
• A third of motorist s would drive off without leaving any contact details if they accidentally bumped or scratched a parked car
• Over 90% of drivers would support harsher punishments for drivers caught without insurance

[mannginger]

I replied yes to confidence and yes to having an accident - but the accident was not "at fault" so that'll skew the odds somewhat.

Also I am not confident 100% of the time - In particular M6 driving when it's busy and wet - the M6 has a nasty habit in circumstances like that to concertina suddenly (think 80 to 30 very suddenly) and I don't trust other people's reactions in those circumstances so I tend to slow down and get into the inside lane when I can. (Mind you is that a lack of confidence or just sensible!?)

Phil

[mannginger]

danger mouse said:

I would say that I am a confident driver, and that may be the reason I drive as fast as conditions allow most of the time (I enjoy it), but I also adapt to such things as blind corners, weather, density of traffic and of course speed limits to the same degree as anyone else on here. I have confidence in my ability to judge the situation where I am driving, but sometimes this judgement makes me feel less confident so I slow down, to make more space for myself etc. Blind over-confidence, of the kind shown by 17 y/o yoofs and the like, is the leathal kind... ...Luckily I have survied that stage pretty much unscathed.

I think that describes me pretty much. (Does anyone else get annoyed though when, in the M6 situation described, people move into the gap you have deliberately left?)

Phil