Top 10 bad driving habits

Top 10 bad driving habits

11 December 2015

Eating while driving is the number one bad habit New Zealanders admitted to in a survey about dangerous driving behaviours commissioned by IAG. IAG trades in New Zealand under AMI, State, NZI, Lumley and Lantern brands.

More than half of drivers asked confessed to munching while motoring (55%), which although isn’t illegal can be distracting and take drivers’ concentration off the road.

Almost as many motorists (42%) admitted they’d driven through a red or amber light in the last six months. The penalty for running a red light is a $150 fine.

Ruth Colenso, General Manager of Customer Claims for AMI, said: “Christmas is a busy time when we can be vulnerable to stress and look for ways to cut corners, such as driving a bit faster or taking a few more risks on the road to get somewhere faster.

"It’s important to remember that we aren’t the only ones on the road and to be considerate to others when you get behind the wheel.”

Ruth also urged drivers to beware for signs of fatigue, which can increase the likelihood of an accident. “If you plan to travel during the Christmas break, make sure you factor in regular breaks to your journey so you can rest and refresh.

"If possible, get a second driver to take over so you aren’t tempted to fall into bad driving habits like speeding or running a red light.

"Remember to be courteous to others on the roads so we can all have a safe and happy holiday."

Police statistics showed in 2014 that more drivers were caught running a red light compared to the previous five years.

In April this year, police installed red light cameras at a number of intersections in Auckland and Wellington where there have been a high number of fatal and serious collisions.

More than a third of drivers (39%) also admitted they had texted or talked on their mobile phone without hands free while on the road in the last half year – an offence for which a driver will incur 20 demerit points on their license and an $80 fine.

A quarter of people (25%) also admitted to driving a motorcycle or car with bare feet or wearing jandals, which although not against the law, can be hazardous especially if the jandals are wet or have little or no grip as they could slip off the pedals.

AMI partnered with research specialists Nielsen to find out drivers’ most common bad habits when behind the wheel.

Other bad behaviour drivers admitted to included changing lanes without indicating (20%), being distracted by a child or pet (16%), not stopping for a pedestrian at a crossing (11%), having a near miss with a motorbike (6%), overtaking a vehicle on double yellow lines (4%), driving in a bus lane for more than 100 metres (3%).

One way AMI is looking to help keep New Zealanders safe on the road this summer is through a series of videos aimed at making people more aware of the safety features of their vehicle and how these could help them avoid dangerous and costly driving incidents.

Visit AMI’s YouTube channel to find out more.

Top 10 bad driving habits New Zealand drivers admitted to in the last six months:
1 Ate food while driving. 55%
2 Driven through an amber or red light. 42%
3 Texting or talking on a mobile phone without hands free. 39%
4 Driving a car or motorbike with bare feet or wearing jandals. 25%
5 Changing lanes without indicating 20%
6 Distracted by a child or pet 16%
7 Not stopping for a pedestrian at a crossing 11%
8 Having a near miss with a motorbike 6%
9 Overtaken another vehicle on double yellow lines 4%
10 driving in a bus lane for more than 100 metres 3%

*Survey results are based on an online survey of a representative sample of the national population aged 15 plus, conducted from 29 October to 4 November this year by Nielsen. The survey had a sample size of 702. The results were weighted by age, gender and region to be representative of the online population. Within this overall sample, 603 people said they had driven a vehicle in the last 6 months and the results reported cover the responses from these drivers. Their results are representative of the national population of drivers, because the overall sample is nationally representative. The predicted maximum margin of error for the driver sample is ±4.0%.

ENDS

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