Take care of yourself and others, both on and off the road

More irritable behaviour behind the wheel, leading to more incivility on the road

• 16% of European drivers say they are not the same person when they get behind the wheel, becoming more irritable, impulsive, or aggressive.
• 55% of European drivers admit to sometimes insulting other drivers.
• 33% of European drivers deliberately tailgate drivers who annoy them.
• 84% of European drivers say they have been frightened by another driver's aggressive behaviour.

Drowsiness and inattention: dangerous behaviours, especially on long journeys and in heavy traffic

• 35% of European drivers report being very stressed by long journeys in heavy traffic.
• 34% get behind the wheel, even when they feel very tired.
• 78% admit that they sometimes take their eyes off of the road for more than 2 seconds.
• 50% make calls while driving using a Bluetooth system (41%), even though this can have as much of an impact on their attentiveness as other kinds of phone use.
• 13% have had, or almost had an accident due to falling asleep at the wheel, while 11% have had or almost had an accident due to using a phone while driving.

Keeping road workers safe on the motorway: not following safety rules can have serious consequences

• 73% of French drivers sometimes ignore the “safety corridor”, which is a virtual barrier added to French traffic law in 2018, requiring drivers to stay as far as possible from road workers.
• 61% of French drivers do not maintain safe distances.
• However, 51% believe that not maintaining safe distances is one of the primary causes of accidents involving road workers on motorways (42% of European drivers).

The trend of drivers feeling ‘in their own little bubble’ behind the wheel makes them forget the collective aspect of driving, and therefore the consequences that their behaviour can have for others.
Before leaving for vacation, the stress of long journeys in heavy traffic, especially in the anxiety-inducing context of the current public health crisis, should encourage everyone to drive calmly and responsibly, helping to keep everyone safe and sound on the road.

Bernadette Moreau, General Delegate of the VINCI Autoroutes Foundation for responsible driving

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More irritable behaviour behind the wheel, leading to more incivility on the road

Drivers become more self-centred and aggressive behind the wheel

When they were first asked about their mindset behind the wheel, some drivers expressed awareness of the fact that getting in the car can have a negative impact on their behaviour. In fact, 16% of European drivers says they are not really the same person when they get behind the wheel, becoming more irritable, impulsive, or aggressive than normal.

Driving also seems to create a distance between drivers and other people or the surrounding environment, with 19% of European drivers reporting feeling “in a bubble” behind the wheel, leading them to pay less attention to others. 14% of the European drivers even say that on the road, it's “every man for himself”...

Most drivers are satisfied with their own behaviours, even though they report various incivilities

The vast majority of French drivers seem to be rather self-indulgent about their own driving, but much less forgiving of others. In fact, 97% of European drivers used at least one positive adjective to describe their own driving, while 83% used at least one negative adjective to describe other people's driving. Above all, drivers describe themselves as vigilant (76% of European drivers), calm (59% of the Europeans) and courteous (28%). Conversely, they do not hesitate to describe other people's driving as irresponsible (45% of European drivers), dangerous (28% of European drivers), stressed (38%) and aggressive (29%).

The prevalence of incivility on French and European roads, however, should lead us to question the complacency that drivers feel towards themselves:

• 55 % of European drivers admit to insulting other drivers.
• 51 % admit to needlessly honking their horns impatiently at drivers who annoy them.
• 33% deliberately tailgate drivers who annoy them.
• 34% pass other motorway drivers on their right.
• 20% get out of their cars to explain themselves.

This incivility creates a climate of tension on the road, with 84% of European drivers saying they have been frightened by another driver's aggressive behaviour, even though only 3% of them describe themselves as aggressive behind the wheel ...

Drowsiness and inattention: dangerous behaviours, especially on long journeys and in heavy traffic

Some light awareness of the risk of drowsiness and too many few behaviours to avoid it

Unlike their French counterparts, European drivers tend to underestimate drowsiness as being deadly on the motorway: 20 % of European drivers list drowsiness as the Number 1 cause of deadly accidents (compared to 39% of French drivers and 24% of British drivers). 13% of drivers in Europe have already had, or nearly had, an accident due to falling asleep at the wheel. Furthermore, 27% of European drivers report believing that they have previously fallen asleep at the wheel for a few seconds and 18% have drifted into the emergency lane or onto the shoulder because they were not paying attention or had fallen asleep.

In contrast to this observation, 28% of European drivers believe that they can keep driving, even when they are tired. This figure is down compared to last year, but it is still disturbing, with 39% of French drivers claiming that they can drive just as well, or even better, when they are tired (a figure that reaches 45% among drivers in Ile-de-France!).

This contradiction, with people being aware of the risk while also underestimating it, leads them to take serious risks, especially on long journeys. This includes:

• 82% of European drivers go to bed later or get up earlier than usual before embarking on a long trip.
• 77% finish getting ready for a trip late the night before they leave.
• 67% start their trip at night, even though 42% of European drivers say that they are stressed by long night-time drives.

Such practices are even more dangerous when recommendations about taking breaks (every 2 hours) are not followed: European drivers will go for an average of 3 hours and 6 minutes before they stop for a break. Overall, this time has fallen across Europe (-13 minutes), everywhere except for in France (+3 minutes).

There are some good behaviours that should be encouraged:

• 85% of European drivers plan their departure time based on when they will be the least tired.
• 77% put off their departure when they are tired.
• 71 % switch with another driver during the trip.
• 59% stop during their trip to take a nap - the most effective way to avoid the risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

Drivers disconnected from the road

Drivers are well aware of the dangers of distracted driving: 53% of European drivers identify it as one of the main causes of deadly road accidents in general. Also, 11% in European drivers and British drivers have already had, or almost had, an accident due to someone using their phone while driving.

Still, they cannot quite bring themselves to forgo especially dangerous behaviours linked to distractors:

• 50% of European drivers say they talk on the phone while driving, using a Bluetooth system to connect to their car's built-in speakers - a practice that can be as dangerous in terms of inattentiveness as other kinds of phone use.
• 44% use their GPS while driving.
• 23% send and/or read text messages or e-mails while driving.
• 19% notify other drivers of road conditions using an app while they drive.
• 25% make calls holding the phone in their hands.
• 6% even watch films or videos on a smartphone or tablet while driving.

A set of risks that can create anxiety and lead to accidents under the added stress of a long journey

Almost 60% of European drivers say they feel stressed by long journeys in heavy traffic (35% said very stressed), while only 18% say they feel stressed by their car journeys to and from work. This state of mind can lead to various infractions or deliberate risk-taking, behaviours that are incompatible with safe and calm driving. This includes:

• 88% of European drivers who drive a few kph over the speed limit.
• 78% of French drivers who sometimes take their eyes off of the road for more than 2 seconds.
• 53% forget to use their turn signals when passing other vehicles or changing direction.
• 9% say they drive when over the legal alcohol limit while not feeling drunk.
• 8% say they get behind the wheel after taking medication that might affect their awareness.
• 3% get on the road after smoking marijuana or taking drugs.

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Keeping road workers safe on the motorway: not following safety rules can have serious consequences

There is too much dangerous behaviour in road work areas and the “safety corridor” rule seems to barely be known or enforced

Since the beginning of the year, despite much less travel due to lockdown measures, 48 work vehicles have already suffered collisions across the French motorway network under concession, (25 on the VINCI Autoroutes network alone).

There are many dangerous behaviours that can put the men and women working on roads and motorways into danger, whether they be mobile units, on a worksite, emergency services, law enforcement, or breakdown mechanics. 61% of European drivers do not maintain safe driving distances - this is essential for good road visibility - and more than 1 in 2 (54%) forget to slow down when they approach a road work zone. These behaviours must be put to a stop, since 146 road work vehicles have suffered collisions and 17 road workers were injured in 2019 across all French motorway networks under concession.

In France, the “safety corridor” rule was added to the traffic code in September 2018. Punishable by a set fine of €135 and a loss of points based on the infraction, it aims to protect people working on surface streets, high-speed roads, and motorways. The safety corridor is a virtual barrier that drivers must respect, moving as far away as possible from road workers, creating a protective perimeter. Still, more than two years after coming into effect, more than 1 in 4 French drivers (27%) do not know about this rule. This figure is slightly lower (24%) for those who have had their driving license for less than 3 years. Overall, more than 7 in 10 drivers (73% and up to 8 in 10 drivers in Ile-de-France) say that they do not always follow this rule.

Some awareness of the factors that lead to accidents involving road workers, but the effects of drowsiness are underestimated

When asked about the main causes of accidents involving motorway road workers, European drivers first cited speed (63%), followed by distracted driving (66%), and not maintaining safe driving distances (51%).

Drowsy driving was only the fourth most commonly cited cause, given by just 11% of European respondents, even though along with distracted driving, it is responsible for 65% of such accidents in France.

Also, even though they are clearly aware of how dangerous distractors can be, many European drivers (78%) say that they sometimes take their eyes off of the road for more than two seconds while driving, despite the fact that at 130 km/h, they will travel at least 78 meters in that time.

It should be noted that the poor visibility of road work vehicles was cited in last place, by only 10% of European drivers and British drivers as well, a somewhat astounding fact, given that all road work projects use some kind of signalling that can be seen from a distance (rotating lights, illuminated arrows on the tops of vans, etc.) ...which of course only works if the driver's eyes are on the road...

The safety corridor must be respected to protect the safety of road workers and anyone else who may be near a stopped vehicle or van. For it to work right, this practice requires that drivers get rid of any distractions in their car and remain attentive. Paying attention to the road and to your surroundings is essential, so you can see road work vehicles’ highly visible signalling devices far enough ahead to change how you are driving and avoid getting too close.

Bernadette Moreau, General Delegate of the VINCI Autoroutes Foundation

To conduct the Responsible Driving Barometer survey, from 28 February to 09 March 2020, Ipsos conducted an online survey of 12,400 people aged 16 and over, including at least 1,000 people in each of the 11 countries surveyed. The representativeness of each sample is ensured by the quota method.

 

About the VINCI Autoroutes Foundation for Responsible Driving

Founded in February 2011, the VINCI Autoroutes Foundation for Responsible Driving is a laboratory, observatory and source of information specifically dedicated to changing driver behaviour.

Primarily focused on improving road safety, it aims to promote responsible road behaviour (“responsible driving”) and, in 2018, it expanded its sphere of action to include environmental and educational measures (“responsible behaviour”).

Its work includes:

• innovative scholarly research into certain areas of risky driver behaviour, into protecting the environment, and into the use of education and reading as a means to improve driver behaviour;
• carrying out information campaigns to raise awareness of road risks;
• funding initiatives by non-profit associations and citizen initiatives aimed at encouraging responsible driving.

http://roulons-autrement.com