Are UK Drivers blind to the dangers of motoring? New Research suggests they are.

According to new research from Swansea University and the University of the West of England, people have a common 'blind spot' when it comes to driving cars. 

The researchers discovered that this so-called blind spot causes people to apply different moral and ethical standards in certain parts of their lives than in others. 

A poll of 2,157 adults from throughout the UK was conducted for the study. A series of questions regarding driving and other aspects of life were posed to participants. 

The researchers discovered that simply by framing a concept as a driving concern or not, people might shift from agreeing to disagreeing with it. 

For example, one question found that 75% of the UK public agreed that "People shouldn't smoke in highly populated areas where other people have to breathe in the cigarette fumes,".  

However, only 17% agreed when the statement was changed to "People shouldn't drive in highly populated areas where other people have to breathe in the car fumes."  

The same was true when it came to theft. When asked “if you leave your 'belongings' in the street and they get stolen”, only 37% of people think the police should do something about it. Reframed as a motoring question,” if you leave your 'car' in the street and it gets stolen” then 87% of people think the police should take action, even though the car is really just one of your belongings. 

While this might seem a bit extreme, one of the researchers, Professor Alan Tapp summed it up perfectly by using a hospital as an example:

“If you asked a politician whether a new hospital should be inaccessible to one-fifth of the population, obviously they’d say no,”

“Whereas if you asked that same politician whether a hospital should be built on the edge of town, it’s likely that many wouldn’t see the problem, if they have a form of this mindset we’re looking at. But in practice, having the hospital outside town is not that different from making it inaccessible when a fifth of households don’t have a car.

They call this mental phenomenon ‘Motornormativity’.  

The Research 

The researchers' paper 'Motonormativity: How social norms hide a major public health hazard' shows that we are all surrounded by environments that promote motor travel and systematically downplay the negative consequences. 

The environments they identify are things like pelican crossings, where pedestrians wait for permission to cross the road while drivers automatically get a green light. They also highlight advertising and media that normalise and excuse antisocial and dangerous driving. 

The researchers believe that this matters because it's not just the general public who has unconscious biases around motoring - it's also politicians and members of the medical profession who influence public health.  

When a policymaker assumes that traveling from one place to another involves driving, they might harm public health by making driving easier.  

Their blind spot might create policies that increase air pollution and make travel more difficult and dangerous for people who move by other means. 

The researchers call for decision-makers to start recognising their unconscious biases on this topic and to put in place systems to make transport decision-making more rational. 

What does this mean for the taxi trade? 

The taxi and private hire industry could be affected by the findings of this research because it could lead to policy changes that make it more difficult to drive in certain areas.  

This could lead to increased costs for drivers who have to navigate more complex routes, and it could also lead to longer journey times for passengers.  

However, it could also lead to positive changes, such as increased investment in public transport and more pedestrianised areas in cities, making it easier for people who don't drive to get around.

With motoring such an integral part of life in the UK, it's hard to see how the results of this research will have an impact in the short term.