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Being nice on the roads can leave you with 9 points on your licence and an unlimited fine

Bylizwalsh

Jun 28, 2022

37% of motorists are unaware that flashing your lights to warn of upcoming speed traps could land you with a £1,000 fine

  • Waving to say thank you is the most common driving courtesy in the UK (63%)
  • Drivers aged 25-34 are the most frustrated by uncourteous drivers (94%)
  • Motorists in Norwich (75%) and Cardiff (73%) are the most likely to consider themselves polite drivers 

New research from comparethemarket.com has revealed the most common driving courtesies in the UK, some of which could see motorists hit with hefty fines.  

Waving to say thank you is the UK’s most common driving courtesy

According to motorists, the most common driving courtesy is waving to say thank you, as nearly two-thirds of drivers (63%) do so.  Turning off your full beam when other drivers are coming towards you (60%) and giving more room to learners (50%) follow as the second and third most common. 

Driving courtesy Percentage of drivers that abide by the courtesy
Waving to say thank you 63%
Turning your full beam off when other drivers are coming towards you 60%
Giving more room to learner drivers 50%
Flashing your headlights to say thank you 42%
Keeping your speed consistent when around other drivers 37%
Putting your hazards on to say thank you to someone behind you 35%

 

37% of motorists are unaware that flashing your lights to warn of upcoming speed traps can land you with a £1,000 fine

The study revealed that only 37% of drivers knew that flashing your lights to let other motorists know of an oncoming speed camera is illegal, and could land them with a fine.

Courtesy Fine Points
Flashing your lights to warn others of upcoming speed cameras/speed traps £1,000 3
Beeping your horn when going around tight bends £1,000 0
Using your hazard lights to say thank you to someone behind you Unlimited 9

 

Motorists in Norwich are most likely to consider their driving affable 

Three-quarters (75%) of motorists in Norwich believe they’re courteous drivers ‘at all times’. Cardiff and Belfast followed closely behind with 73%. 

Plymouth (57%), Edinburgh (61%) and Newcastle (61%) came out the bottom with the least drivers believing that they’re courteous road users. 

Younger drivers are most frustrated by ill-mannered drivers

Drivers aged 25-34 get frustrated the most when other drivers aren’t polite, with 94% saying they get frustrated by uncourteous drivers, compared to 76% of those aged 55 and over. 

Only 1.7% of all motorists say they never feel frustrated with other drivers for not being courteous. 

Please find the full research here: https://www.comparethemarket.com/car-insurance/content/unofficial-rules-of-the-road/