Drivers Warned Not To Blame Others

Published Date: 27th Mar 2006

Motorists who blame others for causing road accidents are more at risk from being involved in incidents, a recent study has shown.

Road users who had taken extra tuition after passing their initial test were shown to be 60 per cent less likely to fall into the 'blame game' category, resulting in lower car insurance premiums in the long run.

Professor Neville Stanton, who led the research team, said: "The extra training makes drivers more aware of what they themselves can do to reduce the risk of being involved in a crash."

The study was commissioned by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, which believes that recent developments in car safety have made drivers more complacent and less aware of their own shortcomings.

The institute's chief examiner Peter Rodger noted: "With car safety systems becoming increasingly sophisticated, there is a danger that drivers will think they can rely on the technology to prevent crashes."

The research comes as the latest statistics for fatalities on Britain's roads show deaths have declined by six per cent since 2001, while other European countries show an average reduction of 14 per cent.

However, the UK still has one of the best road safety records in Europe with 7.1 deaths per billion kilometres travelled in 2003, compared to 9.7 in Germany and 10.9 in France.

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