Road Bullying Rife on Britain’s Roads

A major new survey by car hire company carrentals.co.uk reveals that nearly one in six women, and one in ten men, have been threatened on our roads.

[ClickPress, Thu Jan 12 2006] A major new survey of drivers has revealed the extent of Road Bullying and threatening behaviour on Britain’s roads, with 79% of women and 66% of men believing that the problem is becoming increasingly common.

The survey of nearly 1,000 drivers by carrentals.co.uk, the UK’s leading online car hire company, found that over 15% of women and 11% of men have been threatened or bullied while driving. With over 34.5 million driving licence holders in the UK (source Department of Transport), the results mean that nearly 4.5 million licence holders have been the victims of road bullying.

The research was told of a range of driver experiences from motorway chases, reports of drivers being followed home and verbal abuse to violent physical attacks and intimidation.

The worst region for threatening behaviour is London where over 18% of drivers said they had been victims of Road Bullying, followed by the South East (16%) and North West (15%). The safest region is Scotland where 2% have experienced bullying while behind the wheel of a car.

The survey, which was run as part of the carrentals.co.uk Road Sense 2006 road safety campaign, also highlights a significant gap between the confidence of male and female drivers when driving alone. Over 13% of women said they lacked confidence, compared to just 0.01% of men, with the main fear of female drivers highlighted as aggression from other drivers. Other concerns include fear of accidents and break down, a general lack of road confidence and fear of personal attack.

The gender split was also found on the various roads. While 79% of men feel safest on motorways, women feel most secure on A roads (72%) followed by dual carriageways (68%) and motorways in third place at 58%.

The issue of Road Bullying is becoming such a concern that the survey found that 10% of men and 7% of women had, or would consider, carrying a weapon for protection. Londoners and drivers in the Midlands are the most likely to take this action (14%), followed by drivers from Yorkshire & Lincolnshire (12%).

Andrew Stevens, managing director of carrentals.co.uk, said: “The results of the survey show just how bad the problem of road bullying has become. The fact that over 13% of women lack the confidence to drive by themselves on the roads largely due to the aggressive drive culture that exists is appalling. Many of our customers who live in cities don’t own a car, so hire one for weekends away or holidays, and they are increasingly shocked at the behaviour that drivers now face across the country.

“This issue isn’t going to just go away. We need all organisations connected with driving, together with the Government and the Police to take action and offer far more advice on road safety so we can start to combat the bully antics that are becoming a daily part of life on our roads.”

Over 62% of respondents believe that more advice on personal safety should be provided as part of the driving test, with 42.5% stating that the Government should also be doing more to promote awareness of what to do when confronted with the issue of Road Bullying.

The carrentals.co.uk Road Sense 2006 campaign includes a range of offers for female drivers, together with a series of downloadable advice tips and free reflective stickers for schools. For more information visit www.carrentals.co.uk/roadsense.


· Over 15% of women and 11% of men have been threatened or bullied on Britain’s roads – or nearly 4.5 million of the UK’s driving licence holders
· 79% of women and 66% of men believe that Road Bullying is becoming more common
· 13% of women, compared to just 0.01% of men, don’t feel confident about driving by themselves on the roads - fear of aggressive drivers is the top reason for female lack of confidence
· One in 10 men and one in 14 women have, or would consider, carrying a weapon for protection
· London is the region where most people have been threatened or bullied, followed by the South East and North West