According to new research by insurer Marmalade, learner drivers are experiencing an increase in road rage from other road users.
Since the pandemic, the situation has been getting worse with 59% of driving instructors saying their learners are being abused by other drivers during lessons.
Worse still, 81% of learners have experienced intimidation and abuse either during a lesson or private practice.
Crushing confidence
The problem is that such vile behaviour is having a direct impact on learning: 72% of learners say they end up making more mistakes with 8% quitting learning to drive as a result.
“I lost two learner drivers over 12 months. One was the result of a van tailgating badly, then dangerously overtook, slammed on the brakes and started to hurl abuse… She just said ‘No more. Take me home.’”
• Andy (ADI)
Widespread woes
In a combined survey of 1,293 learner drivers, newly qualified drivers and parents (as well as 407 driving instructors), Marmalade’s research reveals 43% of learners experience abuse occasionally while driving, 14% half the time, and 11% most of the time.
The top places that learners are most likely to be abused is at a roundabout (61%), towns or city centres (42%), traffic lights (32%), and while practising manoeuvres (30%).
Most depressingly, 26% of learners say it makes no difference where they are – the abuse just keeps on happening.
Different forms
The abuse and intimidation comes in many different forms – from tailgating (68%) and beeping horns (59%) to being cut-up (44%) and rude hand gestures (40%).
“I’ve experienced road rage aimed at students, general abuse, threats of violence and racist slurs. I’ve even had a guy shout at my pregnant student because we were parallel parking next to his car.”
• Richard (ADI)
Cause and effect
The impact on students can be profound with 72% of learners making more mistakes, 68% becoming more nervous behind the wheel, and 49% having to pull over.
In extreme cases, 29% of learners have been reduced to tears, stopped driving for a while (12%), and stopped driving altogether (8%).
“A car full of men came up close behind me before pulling up next to me, shouting abuse and throwing things out of the window. The experience was so overwhelming and I felt so threatened at that moment that it stopped me from driving for six months.”
• Esme
Taking the P
The research also reveals that the harassment doesn’t stop once the test has been passed with 47% of new drivers saying that they don’t use P plates as it appears to enflame the rage of idiot drivers.
It’s an issue that instructors recognise themselves with 46% of ADIs recommending their pupils don’t use P plates once they get their licence.
“The worst tailgating my daughter experienced was after she passed her test and used P plates. It was so bad that I told her to remove them, as it was almost like a challenge for other drivers to harass.”
• Parent
– To read more student and instructor stories, head here.
What to do
To combat the growing issue, the majority of survey respondents (54%) says there should be on-the-spot fines with 35% advocating for three penalty points for bully drivers.
To try and get the government moving on the issue, Marmalade has launched a petition that wants to make the disregard for the safety of drivers displaying an L-plate an aggravating factor in dangerous driving and careless driving offences.
The aim is to impose stronger sentences on drivers who do not take sufficient precautions when driving near learners.
Driving instructor Linda Ball backs Marmalade’s campaign, stating: “I feel there should be a tough consequence for drivers abusing learners. It’s surely time for there to be an offence of learner intimidation or dangerous driving around a learner, with points or a fine being imposed.
“If another driver causes a learner to have an accident, the abusing driver needs to be held responsible for the accident.”
The petition only takes minutes to sign and if it reaches 10,000 signatures, the government will have to respond to the petition. If the petition gets 1000,000 signatures, then it will be considered for debate in parliament.
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Main photo by Will Porada on Unsplash
Roundabout photo by Lucas Miguel on Unsplash