Twenty red lights run, 54 engines stalled, 81 kisses shared; a new survey from the British Lung Foundation uncovers what we really do in our cars over a lifetime of driving.
In a survey commissioned to highlight the damaging effects of toxic fumes on our health when we’re stuck in traffic, the BLF’s research reveals we spend 1,080 days at the wheel over the course of our lives – that’s nearly three years – and during that time, we travel a whopping 257,356 miles. Along the way though, it appears we’re also forgetting the basics of the Highway Code…
Most lawbreaking moments****20 times we have run a red light; if we were caught each time, we’d have received a minimum of 60 points on our licence.
27 times we have risked getting a ticket by parking on double yellow lines; combined, that’s a minimum of a £1,350 in collective fines.
81 we have experienced road rage; if caught, we’d have received a minimum of 243 points.
84 times we have performed turns without indicating; if you’re BMW driver, we suspect you’d need to triple that figure.
95 puddles we have driven through deliberately; just remember splashing pedestrians on purpose is illegal!
146 times we have broken the speed limit; if caught, that’s a minimum of 438 points on your licence.
But that’s not all – the survey also reveals some of the more embarrassing things we get up to behind the wheel:
Most embarrassing moments****12 times we have bumped other vehicles’ bumpers
14 drinks we’ve spilled on ourselves
30 times when we have pulled up on the wrong side of a fuel pump
64 stalls when we’ve tried to pull away
66 times when we have kerbed a wheel
150 times we’ve driven over potholes; not strictly embarrassing as they’re so prolific on our roads – after all, if you piled Britain’s one million potholes on top of one another, they would stretch up to 25 miles!
No matter how posh the car you end up driving, you’re still going to kerb those shiny alloys according to the BLF.
And finally, if we spend three years of our lives driving, then the inside of a car is inevitably a place where we do the most human of things – and risk becoming distracted by them in the process:
Most distracted moments****33 times crying while at the wheel
51 arguments with passengers
60 meals eaten
81 kisses shared
112 times we’ve sung-along with the radio
122 times we’ve daydreamed.
The real question for learners is, judged on your short driving career so far, how many of these ‘moments’ have you experienced to date?
Couple kissing © Ollyy/Shutterstock