How much of an impact has the recent government crackdown actually had on driving behaviour in the UK?
Commercial vehicle insurers Staveley Head launched an anonymous online confessions quiz to find out.
17,600 motorists took part, anonymously admitting to several sins including Snapchatting behind the wheel and speeding over the legal limit. But results reveal that the number of committed offences has decreased overall.
A huge 86% of motorists say they’ve sped over the legal limit, despite the increase in fines on 24th April. However, this is an 8% decrease, as 94% confessed to doing so previously.
According to data analysed from the quiz, the new law on mobile phone use has had the biggest impact on driving behaviour. Prior to 1st March, when the new law came in, 54% said they use their phone whilst behind the wheel. Since the crackdown, that number has reduced to 37% and therefore a 17% decrease.
The Test
The anonymous confessions quiz was originally launched in September 2016. 8,000 motorists took part and revealed some shocking results, proving that action needed to be taken.
On 1st June 2017, the test was re-launched to find out if driver behaviour has changed since the government crackdown on 1st March and 24th April. An additional 9,600 motorists took part, resulting in a total of 17,600 anonymous responses.
The results
Prior to changes to the laws surrounding mobile phone use, a huge 94% of motorists admitted to speeding over the legal limit and 54% admitted to using their phones. Shockingly, 28% of drivers even said they have used Snapchat while behind the wheel and 11% had taken a selfie.
On 24th April, the government increased speeding fines to up to 150% of one’s weekly wage in a bid to crackdown on speeders in Britain.
Since the new law, 9,600 motorists were surveyed anonymously and 86% admitted to breaking the law and going faster than the speed limit. Despite such a high number of offences being committed, the crackdown has, in fact, resulted in an 8% decrease in speeders in Britain, compared to the previous dataset.
37% of motorists also confessed anonymously to using their phones behind the wheel. However, this is a 17% decrease in the number of offences committed before the crackdown began.
The results show that Snapchat use is on the rise. Prior to the government crackdown, 28% of motorists said they use Snapchat whilst driving. Since March 1st, we have in fact seen a 1% increase, with 25-34 year olds claiming to be the biggest offenders.
A high 52% of 25-34 year olds who took part in the quiz openly admitted to Snapchatting whilst driving and 12% have taken a selfie whilst driving.
Ashley Peters, Managing Director at Staveley Head commented: “The anonymous confessions data has been gathered solely to raise awareness. We are glad to see that the government crackdown has had an impact on driving behaviour and would hope to see further improvements over time. The data proves that bringing in a new law had a positive impact on driving behaviour which is great news.”
Credit source: Anonymous confessions test http://www.staveleyhead.co.uk/assets/confessions-of-the-road/index.html
Summary
- Anonymous driving confessions quiz reveals the true impact of the recent government crackdown on speeding and mobile phone use in Britain
- 17,600 motorists took part in an anonymous confessions quiz organised by van insurers Staveley Head
- 86% of motorists admitted to continuing to speed over the legal limit, despite an increase in fines on 24th April 2017
- 37% confessed to using their mobile phones behind the wheel, with 1 in 3 admitting they use Snapchat, despite a new law being implemented on 1st March 2017
- However, the number of committed offences has seen an overall decrease, 8% on speeding and 17% on mobile phone use
- The new penalties for mobile phone use (increased fines and points on your license) had the biggest impact on driving behaviour
Media information
For more information or additional commentary, contact Edit’s PR team on 0113 260 4010.
