Disrespect costs £945m

AXA claims 800 lives are lost on Britain's roads through accidents caused by road rage or disrespectful driving, and £35 of each of each annual motor insurance premiums pays for these accidents.

Leading UK insurer, AXA, has launched findings of a report this week that illustrate the extent to which road rage or ‘disrespect' on the UK's roads costs drivers in terms of numbers of deaths a year and additional premium.

AXA said £945m of premium could be saved if British motorists had more respect.

Premiums will rise

Craig Staniland, AXA Insurance director for motor says: "We are very concerned that a continued lack of respect on the road will drive up premiums further.

“Personal injury costs are escalating as it is - if we can cut back the number of accidents involving PI through a less aggressive and more considerate approach to the way we drive then it will be to the benefit of all drivers.

"The downside is that if we don't make some changes then premiums will continue to rise. In turn this may lead to more drivers opting not to insure because of price, which will add yet more to our premiums. It is a serious issue that needs to be addressed."

AXA found

• 79% of drivers believe that British drivers are generally disrespectful to fellow road users
• 52% having been subjected to a ‘significant' act of road rage - shouting and aggression rather than just a quick honk of the horn or a hand gesture.
• 53% of drivers admit to sometimes behaving aggressively behind the wheel
• 20% will often behave in this way.
• 6% of those questioned admitted that they themselves had been disrespectful to another person in the moments before an accident with one in five of these admitting that they had been abusive to other drivers before the accident
• Urban areas were twice as likely to see disrespectful driving as on motorways which were in second place
• Around 20% of drivers were frightened or intimidated by the driver of the other vehicle after the accident had occurred rather than just before
• 13% said an experience of disrespectful driving had made them less likely to drive in the future.