The survey

Are you a good driver?

We conducted our own survey of the public, asking them if they believe they are a good driver.

We asked 1,375 people the following question;

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

‘I am a good driver’

• Strongly agree
• Somewhat agree
• Neither agree or disagree
• Somewhat disagree
• Strongly disagree

The results are as follows;

• Strongly agree – 39.85%
• Somewhat agree – 28.44%
• Neither agree or disagree – 29.09%
• Somewhat disagree – 1.6%
• Strongly disagree – 1.02%

As you can see, the answers to this survey are strongly weighted towards people who are confident in their own driving skills. 68.29% of people believe that they are a good driver, and only 2.62% of drivers think the opposite.

We have a more detailed breakdown of the survey, as we can also see the age, gender, and regions of the people surveyed. Below are some interesting statistics from the survey.

Survey – The breakdown

• Males were more likely to agree with the statement, as 42% of men strongly agreed they are good drivers, whereas only 37% of women said the same.
• Although they may have had less driving experience, more younger drivers strongly agreed they are good drivers. 41% of 16-24 year olds strongly agreed with the statement, and 45% of 25-34 year olds felt the same. The older age ranges were not as confident.
• Drivers from Greater London were the most confident, with 45% of people surveyed strongly agreeing with the statement, whereas people from Wales felt the opposite, with nearly 7% disagreeing with the statement.

Survey – More answers

Our survey also included the option to type in ‘why’ you agreed or disagreed with the statement. We have compiled some of the answers we received.

Agreeing with the statement

‘5 years of driving with very few accidents or incidents’

‘1 accident with over 40 years of driving’

‘Always consider other drivers’

‘Always stick to the speed limit, use my indicator and watch all the road signs, and never use my smartphone while driving.’

‘Because I’ve won races’

‘I am an advanced trained emergency services driver, up to instructor level. I have 35 years of experience driving emergency vehicles (ambulances and response vehicles).’

‘I have my daughter in the car.’

Disagreeing with the statement

‘I really lack confidence and often do silly things when I am driving places I don’t know very well.’

‘I don’t drive often enough’

‘I passed my test 6 years ago, but I have not driven very often, so I am out of practice.’

‘I think that I am a bad driver because sometimes I drive too fast’

‘I do not drive very often as my husband likes to drive.’

‘I am a very anxious driver, and I hate driving, but I have to.’

‘I find parking and town driving difficult.’

People either agreed or disagreed with the statement for a wide range of reasons, although far fewer people decided to be specific in their reasons for disagreeing with it.

People’s beliefs about being good drivers largely depended on their experience and lack of accidents, whereas people who disagreed with this statement often mentioned lack of experience or feeling nervous.

Good driving habits

Keep to the speed limit

Of course, this is one of the most obvious things to say, but it is really important—and it’s easy to do! Just don’t go over the speed limit. Speeding plays a major part in traffic accidents; it is simply not worth risking the lives of others or yourself to get to your destination slightly quicker.

Pay attention to the road

Again, some of the best driving habits are completely obvious and easy to adopt. If you are in control of a car, you should make sure that your focus is on the road. You don’t need to check your phone or reply to emails; anything that takes your attention away from the road needs to wait. If you must be something else urgently, you should safely pull over first.

Take regular breaks

Another major contributing factor to motor accidents is driver fatigue and speeding. The best thing to do is always factor in breaks if you are going on a long journey. Crashes caused by falling asleep at the wheel are much more likely to cause death, mainly because there is no attempt to avoid a crash at high speed. If you do feel tired driving, you should stop and take a 20-minute power nap and drink a caffeinated drink.

Don’t drive under the influence

Even forgetting the fact driving under the influence of drink or drugs is illegal can cause your driving capabilities to greatly diminish. It isn’t just putting yourself in danger but also putting other lives at risk, such as fellow drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. If you are going to have a drink before you drive, make sure you stick to the legal limit, bearing in mind that the legal limit in Scotland is much stricter than in the rest of the UK. 

Always consider other road users

The previous good driving habit tips would all link to this. You should be aware that you are not the only one using the road, and it is every driver’s responsibility to make sure that you and others are as safe as possible. Any bad decisions you make on the road can not only put you in danger but also put others in danger. If every driver thought this way, the roads would be much safer.