Despite 63% of Brits thinking they are good drivers, a worrying number are happy to make excuses for dangerous driving. The survey of 2,000 motorists*, commissioned by Nextbase, examined behaviours such as tailgating, middle-lane hogging, failing to indicate and speeding.

Nextbase’s research highlighted an increasing trend of blaming other road users, with 10% saying they “only drive close to the car in front when they’re in the wrong lane or driving too slowly” and 11% saying they “prefer to use the middle lane because (they) don’t like all the lorries in the inside lane”. Almost a quarter (22%) of motorists also claim, “speed limits on motorways are outdated – most people drive at 80-90mph.”

Bryn Brooker, marketing manager at Nextbase, said: “We now receive hundreds of Dash Cam uploads each month from our customers and we’re seeing some really worrying trends emerging. The ‘blameless driver’, ‘middle lane hogger’ and ‘tailgater’ are just three examples of problem personas on the roads and we want to help motorists protect against such habits.”

It seems that bad habits on UK roads also provoke dangerous reactions from other drivers. More than a third admitted to deliberately slowing down to make a point when the car behind is driving too close to them and 28% of drivers stated that they have been sworn at by another driver.

Brooker continued: “As the number of Dash Cams on the roads increases, so does the amount of footage captured. That’s good news for motorists generally as bad incidents can be shared with the police and dangerous drivers prosecuted. Most importantly, our customers don’t have to worry about situations that used to be one person’s word against another. Now insurance companies and the police can use Dash Cam footage as an independent witness so you can demonstrate that an incident has not been your fault.”

*2000 drivers were surveyed by OnePoll between 12.09.2017 and 14.09.2017. OnePoll are members of ESOMAR and employ members of the MRS.