GOING TOO FAST, GOING TOO SLOW

Transcription

1 RAC REPORT ON MOTORING 2002 Introduction GOING TOO FAST, GOING TOO SLOW This is a summary of the Report on Motoring, which was launched on 23 January. Its purpose is to position RAC as a responsible motoring services company completely in touch with the issues faced by motorists today and providing a range of solutions to many of these issues. The Report is the 14 th edition of the annual motoring survey, which was launched by our parent company, Lex Service PLC, in Extensive research was carried out during September October 2001 to uncover the key issues faced by motorists who drive regularly (at least once a month), 1,34 people were interviewed. The sample was boosted to include 174 company car drivers; 320 drivers who live in London and 311 teenagers aged Long term share of surface transport share of each mode Source: Transport Statistics Bus Car Motorcycle Cycle Train Chart 1 above shows the relentless rise of the car. In fact, it s been the major form of transport since the late 190 s, as the UK s economy started to improve following the years of austerity after World War II. All other forms of public and personal transport have declined alongside this. However, more up to date statistics would show increasing ownership of motorcycles, as a cost-effective and enjoyable way to beat congestion. 1. Key findings: speed and congestion affect virtually all of us The research focused on the two areas highest on the motorists agenda: speed and congestion. In both, we ve found that there is a significant difference between drivers perceptions and the reality, as demonstrated by government and industry statistics. Vehicle speed has attracted increasing attention from the public, the media and government organisations during Speed cameras are seen as an important deterrent to speeding, even though two thirds of motorists who are flashed by cameras faced no further consequences. We support the campaign to ensure they are prominently placed in known accident danger points.

2 Whilst speed is seen as the main cause of accidents, our research has shown that there is insufficient understanding of the underlying causes. We urge the government to look at changing the way accident statistics are collected to enable better understanding and to encourage drivers to change their habits. With our increasing dependence on the car, congestion is now a fact of life for most, with the exception of very rural communities has continued to be a poor experience for many train users and Railtrack s recent problems won t have made things easier. Unsurprisingly, motorists are staying in their cars and now routinely allow for delays before they set off on journeys. The Report confirms that motorists recognise the potential to reduce a significant number of short journeys, by switching from the car to walking or using public transport. In practice, they just stay in the car and find ways round the congestion! We believe that the government must further increase its focus on persuading drivers to give up those short car journeys, where alternative modes of transport are realistic options. 2. Speed - Going too fast It is difficult with modern cars to stick to the speed limit Key findings: Speeding is seen as the main cause of accidents Speed cameras cause people to slow down, particularly at the cameras Drivers blame others for accidents, especially young drivers, the elderly and company car drivers Government statistics show that over half of drivers exceed the speed limit whether on motorways and dual carriageways, or on residential roads. This was reinforced by motorists assessments of the speeds at which most people drive; see chart 2.1 below. Their perceptions were that their own speed was also over the limit, but typically 10 lower than they perceived for most drivers.

3 2.1 Driving speeds - actual What speed do you think most people drive on these roads? What speed do you normally drive on these roads? Most drivers Self Actual + Limit (mph) Avge (mph) driving over limit Avge (mph) driving over limit Avge (mph) driving over limit Motorways Dual carriageways Main roads in country Country lanes N/A N/A Main roads in towns 30/ * 36* Residential roads Base: All motorists/ +Transport Statistics GB 2001/ * Roads with 40mph The statistics also show that speeding is a widely committed offence. Convictions for speeding account for a third of all motoring offences, excluding parking, although the Report showed that many more drivers remain unconvicted even when flashed by a speed camera: one in four were convicted compared with one in six convicted in However, speeding at 10mph or more over the limit doubles the rate of conviction 43 compared with 20 for those driving at 10mph or less when going passed the camera. 2.2 Results of being photographed by speed camera What happened last time you were flashed by a speed camera? Nothing/too early to tell Convicted/fined/points Received notice but not followed up/convicted Base: All those who have been flashed at by speed camera Motorists believe that the current speed limits are generally appropriate. However, for cars travelling on motorways in good weather, only 40 feel that the existing mph limit is too low. Many also suggest a 2 lower speed on motorways in bad weather as is the case in France. Motorists also

4 feel that vans and lorries should be driving 10mph below the current levels, although this could lead to more congestion. About 2 in 10 drivers has had an accident in the past three years for company car drivers it rises to 3 in 10. Research has shown that company car drivers are more accident prone, even allowing for their higher mileage, reflecting the greater pressure under which they drive. Interestingly, the proportions of drivers with points on their licence are the same: 2 in 10 overall, 3 in 10 for company car drivers. While the number of serious road accidents has fallen slightly over the past five years, the number of insurance claims has risen by about. In chart 2.2 you will see that driving too fast is mentioned by 4 of respondents as the main cause of accidents, up by almost 0 on 1994 figures. 2.2 Main cause of accidents Which is the main cause of accidents on the road? Top mentions Driving too fast 30 4 Distraction/not paying attention 18 Drinking and driving Too close to vehicle in front Using mobile phones Driving when tired Base: All motorists Reducing speed and accidents

5 2.3 Government priorities to reduce accidents What in your opinion should be the Government s priority to reduce accidents? Stop use of mobile phones 42 Increase enforcement of offences 31 Change driver attitud es Driver training 26 2 Reduce speed limits 19 Widen roads Build more roads/dual carriageways Base: All motorists Raise speed limits Although mobile phones are only mentioned by as the main cause of accidents, 42 of drivers want the Government to ban them as a priority to reduce accidents, followed by increased enforcement of offences, changing drivers attitudes and increased training. When asked how drivers could personally change behaviour to reduce accidents, motorists said they should drive more carefully and considerately, allow more time and drive more slowly. One of the ways to reduce accidents amongst young drivers is to restrict them in their early years or to increase their training. Although motorists of all ages do not support banning newly qualified drivers at night or limiting them to one passenger, they were strongly in favour of additional training.

6 2. Employer provided driver training What should be covered by training by employers in relation to cars? For which of these have you personally received training? Safe driving generally Basic car safety checks Eradicating bad driving habits Awareness and anticipation Not driving too long First aid Highway Code None Should include (1) na Have had (2) Base: (1) All motorists who think employers should provide training (2) All motorists in work Most drivers supported the idea of periodic refresher training for all drivers typically every to 10 years. In view of the concern about company car drivers, all those in work (whether they have a company car or not, or use their own car for work driving) were asked whether employers should provide training and if so what it should cover. Safer driving generally, safety checks on their car, eradicating bad habits, awareness and anticipation and not driving too long were the most frequent suggestions. Only 4 in 10 had had any training. This shows the potential for RAC Risk Management s driver training programme, especially when the government is considering how it will persuade employers to manage at work road safety in a more structured way. More worryingly, despite their high accident record, 8 of drivers using their cars for work feel that they don t need any training. 3. Congestion - Going too slow Congestion is worse for everyone else it s not too bad for me Key findings: Congestion means traffic jams or low speeds, not lost time Too many cars on the road The school run is perceived as a major cause, followed by commuting Everyone adapts to regular congestion and is unwilling to switch to public transport or give up the journey to avoid it Drivers remain as dependent as ever on their cars with 83 saying they would find it very difficult to adjust their lifestyle to being without a car, 3 lower than the high figure in 2000 at the time of the fuel crisis. Willingness to use public transport remains at 36-7 lower than when Labour came to power. say their car gives them a sense of privacy. All these point to the difficulty of persuading drivers out of their cars, despite the increase in traffic and the resultant congestion.

7 3.1 What is congestion? Which of these best describes what you mean by congestion? Stop start conditions 29 3 Moving very slowly (less than 10 mph) Traffic jams with complete stops of at least mins Having to travel below speed limit because of amount of traffic DTLR RAC Unexpected delay to journey RAC Base: All motorists DTLR ONS survey July 2001 In chart 3.1 above, motorists were asked to describe what they mean by congestion. We compared our findings with the DTLR Office of National Statistics survey last July. Drivers have differing views on what congestion means; few people however mention unexpected delay to their journey, which they regard as accidental rather than institutional. They are almost unanimous in saying that congestion is a serious problem in London and large cities, although those who actually live in these areas do not feel it is so bad. The main contributors to congestion are seen to be the volume of traffic (60), road works (19) and poor public transport (10). Drivers seem to be more likely to experience unexpected congestion now than in They would now use another route rather than leave more time or choose another time for the journey, suggesting a degree of adaptation to the situation. Surprisingly only 4 in 10 check the route in advance when starting a long journey and 1 in 12 on the way to work. They usually check the radio, teletext or TV; Trafficmaster, (our 1740 service) the internet and mobile phones are used by a small minority. Avoiding congestion:

8 3.2 Response to unexpected congestion If the likelihood of encountering unexpected congestion were to double, what would you do? Use another route Leave more time 2 3 Make journey as usual Make journey at different tim e Abandon/not make journey so often 6 Use public transport in s tea d 2 Base: All motorists If people had to switch one journey a week to public transport, they would give up a shopping trip or one to a town centre, the same as last year, although 4 in 10 could not name a journey or did not know. The reaction was similar when motorists were asked about giving up one car journey altogether, although rather more were willing to give up the school run or a journey to work. Specifically in one month, the equivalent of 6 million motorists gave up one or more journeys in their car amounting in total to about 0.7 of total car journeys. Half of these journeys have been abandoned altogether, the rest switched to train/tube, bus, bike/motorbike or walking. Motorists believe strongly that improving public transport is the best solution for reducing congestion, although nearly as many mention widening or improving roads. Eliminating roadworks was also seen as a possible solution. Drivers were prepared to make occasional journeys by train or bus, walk more or give up journeys as their personal contribution to reducing congestion. A quarter of motorists make three or more short journeys by car a week for which they feel they could easily walk instead (but don t). 1 in 8 motorists cycle regularly but not many more would do so even if it were safer. One way of reducing road traffic would be to work at home 1. million motorists do already and a further 2.2 million say they could given a computer and telephone, most of the rest work in a shop/factory/school or need to meet customers/colleagues.

9 4. Living with the car costs and the environment Car ownership continues to increase, especially with teenagers passing their driving tests. Drivers understand the cost of fuel but underestimate depreciation Awareness of the new car tax rules is high and people are beginning to react Interest in alternative fuels is growing With a buoyant economy, and easy access to finance, unsurprisingly car ownership is still on the increase: in 2001, 43 of motorists interviewed had two+ cars in their household, whilst only 1 didn t have a car at all. 29 of households had bought another car as a result of a teenager/young adult passing their driving test, whilst 40 said that they would buy another car when their child passed their test. Drivers have a pretty good idea of the costs of fuel for their car but tend to underestimate the running costs. They consider that fuel is the most expensive cost but in fact it is depreciation, which is hidden as it is not a real cost till the car is changed. They rate the cost of insurance much higher than maintenance whereas they are similar, although that does depend on how conscientiously drivers service their car. A year on from the fuel crisis, motorists felt that petrol had gone up, whereas it is now over 10 cheaper! However, few drivers have changed their behaviour as a result of high prices ; those doing so mainly driving more economically, looking around for cheaper petrol or doing fewer miles (although estimated mileages remain at 10,000 miles a year). 4.1 Typical car running costs per annum Engine size cc Fuel Insurance Maintenance Depreciation Car tax Source: Emmerson Hill running cost tables After depreciation and fuel, the highest expense of running a car is maintenance. The Report shows that motorists remain very loyal to their garage, or franchised dealer for this: of people using a garage have never changed, in comparison to 1 using a franchised dealer. This also ties in with their satisfaction level in servicing: over 92 are satisfied with their local garage, versus 88 for franchised dealers. The biggest change in servicing since the report was done is that just 11 of motorists do the work themselves, in comparison with 23 in 1988! The reasons may well be the increasing complexity of

10 today s vehicles, coupled with the fact that many motorists prefer to spend the weekend enjoying themselves, rather than tinkering with the car. Car tax changes: Awareness of the change in car taxation is now widespread compared with last year. Most know there has been a reduction for smaller cars while a small number know that new cars will now be taxed on their CO 2 emissions. TV and newspapers have been the main source of information but a number found out about it when they received their rebate because their car was less than 1600cc. 4.2 Responses to changes in car taxation Have these changes made you/will they make you change the type/size of your ca of all motorists No change Have changed Will change Action of those who have or will change Switched to smaller/more fuel efficient car Switched fuel (mainly petrol to diesel) Base: All who are aware of change in taxation About 0.7 million drivers claim to have switched to a smaller car as a result this would be about a tenth of new and used car buyers over the past year. Statistics from the SMMT show that many company car drivers are now switching to diesel, as these vehicles have lower CO 2 emissions than their petrol equivalents. The change may have stimulated slightly more drivers to consider alternative fuels such as LPG, CNG or petrol/electric hybrids over the next 3 years. 7 (2 million) say they are very likely to do so the best predictor. A full copy of the report is available from Alex Phillips in Public Relations, Bradley Stoke on Alternatively, visit the web site at for an order form.