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Irish drivers feeling safer

Thursday, 29 January 2009

A MAJOR European road behaviour survey analysing nine countries has found Irish drivers feel safer on our roads than they did two years ago. The study carried out by AXA Insurance involved interviews with 800 drivers in Ireland and other countries including Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. The survey showed that 92 per cent of Irish drivers think drink driving is dangerous, ranking the highest versus an EU average of 78 per cent. The study also showed that eight out of 10 Irish drivers feel safer on our roads and 1/3 think that their driving behaviour has improved in the last two years. The findings were welcomed by the Road Safety Authority which said the revelation that Irish drivers felt safer was particularly welcoming. “While 279 people tragically lost their lives on Irish roads in 2008, it was the lowest recorded number of road deaths in this country since records began,” said CEO Noel Brett. “It would appear that this positive trend is also reflected in the attitudes and reported behaviour of road users in AXA’s survey.  “The highlights of this survey for me are that more Irish drivers feel safer on our roads today and are reporting positive improvements in their driving behaviour.” Highlights of the survey include: l Eight out of 10 Irish drivers stated that accident prevention is very important, this compares positively to seven out of 10 for the EU average but only five out of 10 for Belgium and France l Almost half (49 per cent) of Irish drivers feel that drivers should be more severely punished for traffic offences compared with 28 per cent in France The research also found some interesting differences between Irish drivers and their European neighbours:  l Only six per cent of Irish drivers admit to having been fined or have received penalty points in the past year (mostly for speeding). This compares to 24 per cent in Germany, 23 per cent in Switzerland, 21 per cent in Belgium and 7 per cent in the UK. l Twice as many Irish drivers (29 per cent) surveyed admitted to answering the phone without a hands-free kit which compares poorly to the UK score of 14 per cent. l A total of 87 per cent of NI drivers felt that provisional licence holders should not drive unaccompanied compared with 60 per cent in ROI. In Germany there is no provision for anyone other than full licence holders to drive. To mark completion of the research, AXA has introduced ‘safety kits’ for customers. The kits are to help drivers in the event of an accident and include a high-viz vest, a disposable camera, and  an AXA claims number. Customers who call for a quote or existing customers can avail of a safety kit from any local AXA Branch.