Goodwill to all men… fewer road accidents caused by aggressive driving.
- Government statistics reveal a welcome decline in aggressive driving accidents
- 10 per cent decrease in road-rage prangs in just four years
- Even sharper drop in car accidents where drivers were reckless
Figures from the Department for Transport show that the number of road accidents caused by aggressive driving has fallen dramatically over the past few years.
Analysis of the 2013 to 2017 figures reveals that the number of car-related road-rage prangs fell from 3,065 in 2014 to 2,740 in 2017, a 10 per cent decrease.
Even more stark is the drop in the number of car accidents where car drivers were reckless, careless or in a hurry, which fell dramatically from 15,586 in 2014 to just 10,215 in 2017, a massive 34 per cent reduction.
Dan Jones, operations manager at www.trackdays.co.uk, said: “The reduction in road accidents caused by aggressive driving is welcome news.
“While there is no excuse for this type of driving, these latest findings may surprise many people who think it is on the increase.
“One way for motorists to escape the pressures of everyday driving is to book a track day or driving experience and we’ve seen an increase in race track bookings over the last few years, which contrasts to the decline in the accident figures.”
TrackDays.co.uk driving experience bookings, which is a test drive in a supplied vehicle with an instructor present, went up 23 per cent from 2017 to 2018 year-to-date.
Meanwhile, track day bookings, when drivers take their own vehicle to enjoy on the track, went up 19 per cent over the same period.
Dan added: “Motorists face a barrage of obstacles so it’s not surprising that some snap. However, aggressive driving is inexcusable. Not only is it intimidating to other drivers, but it can also result in an accident.
“While the latest drop in these types of accident is good news, we would encourage those drivers who get hot under the collar to relax and show more consideration to fellow road users.”
