What is the Most Dangerous Manoeuvre a UK Driver Can Make?
Taxi and private hire drivers spend a significant amount of time on the road. In that time, you will likely see an inordinate amount of dangerous driving.
But, if you had to guess the most dangerous manoeuvre you could make on the road, do you think you’d get it right?
Well, the answer is actually in the question!
A study from Forbes Advisor, discussed in TaxiPoint, identifies turning right as the most dangerous manoeuvre on British roads. According to data from the Department for Transport (DfT), drivers making a right turn were involved in 186,009 collisions between 2012 and 2021.
The complexity of crossing multiple lanes and judging the speed of oncoming traffic is apparently want constitutes to the high number of accidents.
The same study lists other common causes for car crashes. Slowing down or coming to a stop was the second most frequent cause, totalling 130,709 incidents in the same period. The third most common cause of collision was being held up while waiting to go, with 112,755 recorded incidents.
These figures focus on road traffic collisions in general. The statistics are much different when we focus on fatal collisions.
Speeding is the leading cause of road fatalities. Government figures show that 1 in 4 deaths on UK roads involves someone breaking the speed limit. However, speeding is one of the most accepted and tolerated form of driving illegally.
Dr Gemma Briggs, Professor of Applied Cognitive Psychology at the Open University, said:
“Most drivers consider themselves to be ‘better than average’ at driving. This can make drivers feel that while others shouldn’t speed, their own increased skill means they can handle a bit of extra speed, and every journey completed seemingly without incident for a speeding driver confirms to them that their behaviour is acceptable, even if they endanger others.”
But despite poor driving contributing to collisions, all the blame can’t be laid on drivers. The UK’s road infrastructure has a lot to answer for.
A report by Transport Focus recently criticised the UK's motorway signs. According to the study, 95% of respondents had seen drivers make dangerous manoeuvres due to obscured junction numbers on signs. This can be a particularly common problem for taxi and private hire drivers when working in unfamiliar areas.
Data from the RAC indicates that poor road conditions like potholes not only damage vehicles but also contribute to accidents. In 2019, potholes were responsible for 1 in 10 mechanical failures on UK roads.
Highways England, the government body responsible for the UK's motorways and major roads, has acknowledged these issues and is considering changes to improve road safety.
But as anyone who’s spent any time on UK roads will know, it doesn’t seem to matter how much investment they receive, they still just about manage to be fit for purpose.
Despite the gloomy figures, it is worth noting that the UK has one of the safest road networks in the world. In 2018, the UK had the fewest number of road deaths in Europe at just 28 per million inhabitants.