Europeans and Responsible Driving
The study, now conducted in 11 countries, is commissioned by the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation for Responsible Driving.
It finds Europeans to be divided as to whether more can be done to reduce the number of road deaths.
It also finds Europeans to be pretty clear in their own minds about the main causes of death on the roads: inattention and driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.
Drinking and driving when over the legal limit is considered to be the riskiest behaviour.
When people rate their own driving skills, they give themselves pretty good scores: their average self-rating comes in at 7.8/10, with being “attentive” and “calm” singled out as being the best aspects of their own driving.
On the other hand, they are rather more critical of other drivers, who are particularly likely to be singled out as being “irresponsible” or “stressed”.
The Swedes are seen by Europeans as being the safest drivers, followed by the Germans and Dutch. On the other hand, the Italians are singled out as the people who behave least responsibly, followed by the Greeks and Poles.
The research also highlights some of the misperceptions drivers may have about driving on the roads today. Asked about how much braking distance is required in order to stop when travelling at 130km/h, the average answer is 105m. The true figure is actually 169m…
