Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Britain's Stressful Roads Send Motorists into a Rage

It is official, Britain’s roads are full of angry and stressed out motorists, and it’s not just men that are seeing the red mist as research reveals women feel angrier when driving than men.

Women’s car insurance specialist, Diamond, questioned 1,800 motorists and found that 21% of women often feel angry with other motorists when behind the wheel compared with just 18% of men. 51% of both men and women admit to shouting at other drivers, but it’s men who are more likely to take this further with 8% of them frequently shouting at other motorists and 2% having physically attacked another driver, compared to 7% and 1% respectively for women.

Today’s motorists are also at the receiving end of this aggression as 56% of men and 54% of women admit to having been shouted at by another motorist.

Diamond MD, Sian Lewis, commented, ”Although women are more likely to feel angry our statistics show that it’s the men that you might want to keep an eye out for. In fact, we can see from their conviction rates that men are more likely to drive in an aggressive manner as 18% of them have a speeding conviction compared to 12% of women.”

UK motorists have also noticed an increase in the stresses of modern driving as 35% of women and 32% of men say that they find driving more stressful than they did a year ago.

Sian continued, “It’s not surprising that motorists are becoming angrier behind the wheel as roads are getting busier, hence making journeys more difficult, the chance of getting caught by a speed camera is an increased risk and it seems that everywhere you turn there are roadworks slowing you down.

Feeling stressed impacts on concentration, and therefore affects driving ability so it’s certainly worth trying to stay calm. Motorists need to remember that everyone’s simply trying to get from A to B, driving isn’t a race and aggression, leading to convictions will hit you in the pocket through a fine and increased car insurance premiums. Being aggressive behind the wheel simply isn’t worth it.”

5 handy tips to think about when behind the wheel:

1. If you feel annoyed take a few deep breaths and try to calm yourself down.
2. Keep your eyes on the road as looking away for just a second could put you in danger.
3. You will make mistakes when driving, so don’t automatically assume that the person shouting at you is being an idiot. You might have made a mistake.
4. Try not to react to someone else’s aggression as that can often inflame the situation.
5. Don’t drive in an aggressive manner as that can be a catalyst for other motorists to respond in the same way.

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Editor’s notes:

1. Diamond launched in 1997, when it was clear that there was a place for a woman only car insurance specialist, and has led the way for similar companies to follow. Diamond has been able to offer women cheaper car insurance for 10 years because on the whole women’s car insurance claims, cost less than men’s. We understand what women motorists want from their insurance, and meet their needs by offering great service and a great price. We do not refuse to give insurance quotes to men and are more than happy to provide a quote if requested.

2. Diamond spearheaded the campaign against gender equalisation. The EU wanted to remove the use of gender when calculating car insurance costs, and Diamond campaigned solidly for months, providing a House of Lords enquiry evidence to support our claims that, women were safer drivers and should pay less.

3. Diamond’s sales line is 0800 36 24 36. Its website address is diamond.co.uk.

4. Diamond is a trading name of EUI Limited, and is part of the Admiral Group. Diamond writes its motor insurance business to a consortium of insurers, these being:

i. Admiral Insurance Company Limited,
ii. Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited, and
iii. Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) plc.

Issued by: Diamond, Capital Tower, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, CF10 3AZ
Date: 31 January 2008

For further info please contact James Carnduff on (029) 2043 4232 or e-mail james.carnduff@aisl.uk.com