Canadians in Cars Talking About Their Road Pet Peeves

Toronto, ON - Nearly all Canadians can admit to having certain `pet peeves' within their day-to-day life, with Canadians on the road feeling no different. According to a new survey conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of RBC Insurance, nearly all licensed Canadians have their automotive annoyances and have provided their top `pet peeves'.

Only 5% Canadians with the ability to drive indicate that they don't have any pet peeves, with the remaining 95% voting their three biggest pet peeves from a list of the Top 10 commonly occurring on-the-road annoyances. The full list breaks down as followed:

1. Using cell phone while driving (talking or texting) - 55%

2. Tailgating/following too closely - 45%

3. Not indicating lane changes or turns - 39%

4. Cutting drivers off - 29%

5. Frequent braking for no reason - 22%

6. Driving too slow - 19%

7. Speeding - 17%

8. Misuse of the passing lane (hogging the left lane) - 15%

9. Failing to yield for merging traffic - 13%

10. Pet on driver's lap - 7%

The data also reveal some interesting generational differences when it comes to Canadians and their driving `pet peeves'. The older licensed Canadians are, the more likely they are to identify using cell phones, not indicating a lane change, and speeding as one of their top three `pet peeves'. The younger licensed Canadians are, the more likely they are to cite cutting drivers off and driving too slow in their top three peeves. Interestingly, younger (6%, ages 18-34) and middle-aged (6%, ages 35-54) Canadians are significantly more likely than seniors (2%, ages 55+) to not have any pet peeves.

Regionally, British Columbians (100%) appear to be the most peeved drivers, while Quebecers (8% no pet peeves) seem to be the most carefree.

• British Columbians are most likely to select using cell phones while driving (69%), not indicating lane changes (48%), and pets on drivers' laps (13%)
• Licensed Albertans are most likely to have tailgating, and hogging the left lane in their top three road `pet peeves'
• Prairies (Saskatchewan/Manitoba) residents are most likely to have speeding (26%) in their top peeves, while Atlantic Canadians (26%) are most likely to have driving to slowly as a peeve
• Despite being the least peeved overall, licensed Quebecers are most likely to say that cutting drivers off (38%) and frequent braking for no reason (25%) are among their top three pet peeves

What Do Drivers Do When Annoyed?...

With so many driving Canadians revealing their particular automotive annoyances it's possible that road rage can take over and get the best of people, but most indicate that their peeves are just minor annoyances that don't affect them, while handfuls of others take more extreme measures.

Three quarters (75%) of licensed Canadians who cite on-the-road `pet peeves' state that they just accept the annoyance and don't let it bother them, meaning one in four (25%) are likely to take some kind of action. One in ten (10%) say they will angrily yell at the culprit of their particular `pet peeve', with handfuls saying they will commit common pet peeves themselves such as tailgating the offender (3%), driving fast to get in front of the offender and braking in front of them for no reason (3%), or cut the offender off (2%). One in five (15%) take some other kind of measure.

Once again, interesting generational trends appear. Seniors (85%) are significantly more likely than their younger (67%) and middle-aged (70%) counterparts to just accept the annoyance and carry on their merry way. Younger licensed Canadians, however, are the most likely to angrily yell at offenders (16%), tailgate them (7%), drive fast to get in front and brake for no reason (5%), and cut offenders off (4%) than their older counterparts.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of RBC Insurance from March 28th to April 3rd, 2014. For the survey, a sample of 1,010 Canadians licensed to operate a motor vehicle in their respective province was interviewed online via Ipsos's I-Say online panel. The precision of Ipsos online surveys is measured using a Bayesian Credibility Interval. In this case, the survey is considered accurate to within +/- 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians licensed to drive been surveyed. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the latest Census information.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Sean Simpson
Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry.

With offices in 86 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

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