Canadian Underwriter
News

Drivers increasingly misbehaving on BC roads: Survey


June 28, 2011   by Canadian Underwriter


Print this page Share

Driver courtesy has declined in the past five years in British Columbia, increasing the risk of road rage and potentially putting all road users in danger, according to a survey commissioned by ICBC.
Ipsos Reid polled 899 adult BC drivers (aged 18 or older) who drive one or more hours per week on behalf of ICBC. Half of the drivers surveyed said drivers in their community are less courteous on the road than they were five years ago.
The five most common displays of poor behaviour experienced from other drivers were:
•signalling late or not at all (82% of respondents);
•tailgating your/other vehicles (73% of respondents);
•not allowing you/others to merge (63% of respondents);
•cutting you/others off on the road (48% of respondents); and
•honking at you/others in anger (26% of respondents).
“Numerous studies have shown that driver discourtesy can be one of the major causes of road rage,” an ICBC release says. “And because discourtesy can trigger some very heated emotions, it can impair a driver’s ability to concentrate, react and make smart driving decisions putting them at increased risk of crashing.”
On the other hand, 40% of those surveyed believe they have not been discourteous to other drivers in the last three months. Twenty-five per cent of respondents admitted that they’ve honked out of anger and 17% admitted to signalling too late or not at all.
“There’s a clear disconnect between how drivers perceive their own driving behaviours and the reality of their driving,” said John Vavrik, a psychologist at ICBC.


Print this page Share

Have your say:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*