Over seven million motorists don’t change driving habits in adverse weather conditions
Over seven million UK motorists don’t change their driving habits to suit winter road conditions
A quarter (26%) don’t always reduce their average speed on icy roads and another one in five (23%) do not increase the distance to the vehicle in front
A third (31%) of motorists don’t completely clear ice or snow from their windscreens, potentially obscuring their vision
For people who do not use an ice scraper, credit cards (47%) and hands (33%) are among the methods used to clear windscreens of snow and ice
uswitch.com urges motorists to take extra care when driving in adverse weather conditions.
As freezing temperatures grip the UK, millions of drivers are putting themselves and others at risk by being ill-prepared for hazardous driving conditions. That’s according to research from Uswitch.com, the price comparison and switching service.
Despite the Department for Transport reporting over 2,170 accidents in winter conditions in 2015, one in six (16%) – nearly 7.5 million motorists – don’t adapt their driving style in treacherous driving conditions. More than one in five (23%) motorists ignore guidance in the highway code and fail to increase the distance between their car and the vehicle in front, while a quarter (26%) don’t always reduce their speed on icy roads.
As well as driving perilously, many are also failing to properly prepare for driving in adverse conditions. Three in ten drivers (31%) don’t completely clear their car’s windscreen before setting off, leaving potential blind spots, and over half (52%) disregard the passenger side windows altogether.
Motorists are also in danger of invalidating their insurance policy even before they take to the road. One in four drivers (25%) admit to leaving the engine running with keys in the ignition – meaning they’re unlikely to be covered if their car is stolen. A further one in ten (12%) use hot water to clear their windscreen which can weaken the cold glass and cause it to break.
In the morning rush to de-ice windscreens, over half of motorists (53%) admit to using inappropriate objects, with nearly half of those (47%) using a credit or debit card. Other popular methods of windscreen clearing include using hands (33%) or a CD (13%).
Fighting off the winter cold with warm clothes may seem sensible but certain attire can limit movement behind the wheel. One in four (27%) admit they have worn clothes that made it harder to drive – the majority (57%) blame their winter coat and a third (32%) say it is big gloves.
Uswitch.com is calling on drivers to take the necessary precautions before travelling in adverse weather conditions and to make sure they adjust their driving to reflect the state of the road.
Kasey Cassells, insurance expert at Uswitch.com says: “As the UK prepares to be gripped by sub-zero temperatures, drivers must plan ahead to ensure their vehicle is winter road-ready. By factoring just a few extra minutes before a journey, drivers can completely clear windscreens of ice and snow before setting off, helping them deal with treacherous wintry conditions.
“Drivers should also adapt the way they drive during adverse weather conditions – reducing speed as well as increasing the distance between cars could make all the difference when it comes to driving on icy roads.
“Each year people are stung when they leave their car running to warm up as they finish their morning cup of tea, as most insurers won’t cover cars stolen while running unattended.”
For further information on how to keep yourself and your car safe this winter visit Uswitch.com for tips and advice.
| Most popular method of removing ice and snow for those without an ice scraper | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De-icer | 57% | |||
| Credit/debit card | 47% | |||
| Lukewarm water | 34% | |||
| My hand | 33% | |||
| A CD | 13% | |||
| An item of clothing | 12% | |||
| Hot/boiling water | 12% | |||
| A magazine | 5% | |||
| A stick | 4% | |||
| Leaves from a tree/bush | 3% | |||
| Mobile phone | 3% | |||
| Books | 3% | |||
| A travel map | 3% | |||
| A shoe | 2% |
Find out how you could save over £1,000 a year with Uswitch here.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Rory Stoves
Phone: 020 3872 5613
Email: rory.stoves@uswitch.com
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Research referred to in the release was conducted online by Opinium from 15th to 18th November 2016 among 2,000 adults.
When asked ‘Ahead of cold weather conditions, do you do any of the following?’, from a list of winter driving precautions, 16% answered “none’. The DVLA’s drivers database holds 46,762,863 driving licences. 1 in 6 drivers (16%) don’t take any precautions / change driving style during winter conditions.16% of 46,762,863 = 7,482,058
When asked ‘When driving in cold/icy/snowy weather conditions, do you take any of the following precautions? - I decrease the average speed on my journey’, 22% answered ‘I sometimes do this’ and 4% answered ‘no, I never do this’. 22%+4%=26%
When asked ‘When driving in cold/icy/snowy weather conditions, do you take any of the following precautions? - I increase the distance between my car and any car driving on the road in front of me’, 19% answered ‘I sometimes do this’ and 4% answered ‘no, I never do this’. 19%+4%=23%
When asked ‘Thinking about when you defrost your car, how much of the car windows/windscreen and mirrors do you clear of ice? – car windscreen’, 25% answered ‘mostly clear’, 3% answered ‘half clear’, 1% answered ‘partially clear’ and 2% answered ‘I do not clear’. 25%+3%+1%+2%=31%
When asked ‘You mentioned you defrosted your windscreen with an object other than an ice scraper, what did you use instead? 47% answered credit/debit card, 33% my hand and 13% a CD
Rule 230 of the Highway Code states: When driving in icy or snowy weather…keep well back from the road user in front as stopping distances can be ten times greater than on dry roads. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/driving-in-adverse-weather-conditions-226-to-237
When asked ‘Thinking about when you defrost your car, how much of the car windows/windscreen and mirrors do you clear of ice – passenger windows?’, 35% answered ‘mostly clear’, 10% answered ‘half clear’, 5% answered ‘partially clear’ and 3% answered ‘I do not clear’. 35%+10%+5%+3%=52%
When asked ‘Have you ever done any of the following while driving in winter?’, 25% answered ‘Left the engine of the car running to heat the car up, while returning to the house’
When asked ‘You mentioned you defrosted your windscreen with an object other than an ice scraper, what did you use instead?’ 12% answered hot water
When asked ‘Thinking about when you needed to defrost the windscreen of your car, have you ever used an object or method other than an ice scraper? 53% said yes
When asked ‘When driving in cold/icy/snowy weather conditions, have you ever had to wear clothes which made it harder to drive (such as a big winter coat, or gloves that are too thick)?’, 27% answered ‘yes’
Those polled who answered yes in Point 6 (27%), were then asked ‘What clothing did you wear that made it harder to drive in particular?’. 58% answered ‘coat’ and 32% answered ‘big gloves’
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