It may not come as a surprise to everybody, but a survey conducted by Brake and Direct Line shows that nearly a half of all drivers admit to breaking driving laws. Of those that admitted to having broken a driving law, half said that they did it inadvertently, while the other half said that they did it because they believed that they would get away with it.
There have been a number of changes to, and additions to, road laws in the UK in past years. Drug driving laws were introduced earlier this year, although driving while under the influence has been an offence for a long time. Middle lane hogging, driving dangerously close to the car in front, and even soaking pedestrians by driving through puddles have all been given special attention, too, with the police getting the power to issue spot fines for these types of offence.
Variable speed limits on the motorway, and even the reduction of speed limits on many roads around towns from 30mph to 20mph have also hit the headlines, while the widespread use of mobile phones and other mobile devices means that specific laws prohibiting the use of these devices while driving have even been introduced. In some respects, it could be considered understandable that a driver might inadvertently break a driving law on occasion.
The results of the survey show, however, that it isn’t just inadvertent rule breaking or absent-mindedness that has led to people breaking the rules of the road. 49% of respondents admitted that they had broken driving laws, and half of those that said they had done so, said that they had done it because they believed they would get away with it.
60% of men said that they had broken laws, compared to only 42% of women, and 69% of all respondents said that they were better drivers than most people on the road. When asked to list the offences that they see around them, most often, distraction was listed as the most common with tailgating, speeding, and risky overtaking habits also featuring.
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