The summer holidays are approaching with their parade of cars, traffic jams, horn … and for many the well -rooted certainty that all the others do badly. But is it true? Who are the most dangerous drivers? The most inattentive? Overview in a whole world.
The Vinci Autoroutes Foundation, the first motorway operator in France, recently published its Annual European barometer of responsible conductwith an observation: Europeans are less dangerous behind the wheel than last year. This result may seem harmless, but it is actually a first in 15 years.
For Bernadette Moreau, general delegate of the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation, it is important to underline “this little progress”, which is found in the various themes studied (incivility, inattention, drowsiness, non-compliance with the highway code).
This positive point concerns everyone, but it is a bit of the tree that hides the forest. Because for Bernadette Moreau, there remains a major problem: the smartphone in all its components.
“Telephone conversation, SMS, E-mail, driving by watching videos … In Europe, 77% of drivers always declare telephone by driving or adjusting their GPS by driving, even though telephone conversation-whatever the mode of use-is a major source of inattention while driving,” she says in the whole world.
Behaviors to be avoided
Inattention and driving distraction are one of the major causes of road accidents. The barometer, carried out by the Ipsos Institute, was carried out on the basis of declarations of more than 12,000 participants from eleven European countries.
More than four out of five people admit that they manage to leave the road to the gaze for more than two seconds, which, at a speed of 120 km/h, represents a distance of 66 meters blind.
Unfortunately, these behaviors lead to dramatic accidents
But according to Bernadette Moreau, the distractions are not everything. “There are speeding, non-compliance with safety distances or driving by being alcoholic or after smoking cannabis. Even if it concerns fewer people, these behaviors are to be avoided, because, unfortunately, they most often lead to dramatic accidents,” she notes.
Added to this is a whole series of aggressive driving behaviors, which generate a state of tension conducive to the risks of accidents. According to the study in question, 87% of respondents say they are afraid of the aggressive behavior of other drivers.
And the worst drivers are … the others
There is one question: who are the most dangerous Europeans while driving? For almost all participants in the survey, “these are the others”. Indeed, respondents are convinced of being exemplary at the desire, while denouncing other road users.
But once out of bad faith, everyone has their category and the barometer will not really break the clichés. “In terms of incivility, the French are first among those who insult the other drivers. We also find Spain for the use of the horn in a untimely way, Greece for deliberately sticking a vehicle, and Italy to descend from the car”, details Bernadette Moreau.
Swedes, Swiss, Norwegians and Danes are the best
The more we go up north of Europe, the less incivility, there is still the report. But the barometer spares no one …
“If we stick to the road safety results, the Swedes, the Swiss, the Norwegians and the Danes are the best. But when we look at the behavior, we see for example that the Swedes are not exemplary in terms of the use of the phone while driving”, notes the general delegate of the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation.
In Switzerland, a barometer of this type does not exist. A whole world has nevertheless been able to obtain statistics on accidents after the Federal Roads Office. The most frequent causes are alcohol consumption, unsuitable speed and distraction.
>> Read also: Road accidents left 250 dead last year in Switzerland
Some tips to finish
The results of this barometer are useful to guide prevention messages on one theme or the other. “It also serves us a lot to guide the research funding that we are leaving on inattention while driving, on drowsiness. All these results are a wealth of information that we share with scientists for their research,” explains Bernadette Moreau.
And before the departure of the holidaymakers for the summer, the delegate finds advice for motorists: “You have to stay calm, placed, leave rested, take breaks regularly to recharge the batteries, and of course, stay attentive to the road by eliminating all the distractions while we are driving.”
Cédric Guigon/Jfe
