Whether you are new to driving in the UK or have been driving for years, one survey commissioned by YourParkingSpace will almost certainly be of interest to you. Both the site and the study are the result of a general lack of satisfaction in the number and cost of parking spaces in the UK. This was a huge concern for drivers in the study and both men and women found these to be major sources of irritation when driving anywhere in the UK. Men were more annoyed by slow drivers than women, but women were hugely irritated with the lack of indicating when turning or pulling over to park.
Scottish drivers were only 29% annoyed by expensive parking rates as opposed to 48% in England. Also, 33% of Scots reported that they could park easily for free north of the English border. So then, what was actually asked on the survey and what did this study indicate as the biggest annoyances to drivers throughout the UK? Basic percentages throughout are as follows:
- Excessive charges for parking 48%
- Not indicating – 72%
- Inability to find parking – 42%
- Distracted driving with mobile phone use – 71%
- Traffic jams – 52%
- Drivers going to slow – 42%
Again, men were more apt to be annoyed with slow drivers than women whilst women were highly irritated by lack of indicators. Not indicating and slow driving can both be hazardous and should be looked at carefully in further statistics.
According to the managing director of YourParkingSpace, Harrison Woods, they were interested to find out more about the psyche of British drivers, what made them mad when travelling the roads both in and out of cities. While congestion and bad parking were high on the list, it was more prevalent in big cities that notoriously have a lack of parking. When parking is available, drivers feel they are being pillaged because of the excessive charges.
Although it was interesting to note that lack of parking spaces was a major frustration to British drivers, it didn’t surprise Woods or his team. Along with the high cost of parking and not indicating, drivers are becoming more and more annoyed over time, hence the survey. Distracted driving is huge, especially among women and the leading cause in this day of technology is talking or texting on mobile phones, taking the driver’s attention off the roadway. Not only is it frustrating to other drivers it is dangerous. While a lack of parking spaces isn’t exactly dangerous, not indicating when one is found can be the ultimate cause of an accident.
The report goes into much more detail and some of the statistics are rather revealing, as Woods says, into the psyche of the average British driver. Not only are driving habits of other motorists a source of irritation, but the fact that those few parking spaces available were designed to accommodate traditionally smaller vehicles. Today’s cars are getting bigger and bigger, and spaces just aren’t laid out to accommodate them – another source of annoyance. To read the entire findings of the survey and for more information click here.