RAC Report on Motoring 2016 - The road to the future

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RAC Report on Motoring 2016 - The road to the future
RAC Report on

                                                         RAC Report on Motoring 2016
                                                                                       Motoring 2016
                                                                                       The road to the future

                                                         #ROM2016

September 2016 ISBN 978-0-9576829-3-1
RAC House Brockhurst Crescent Walsall WS5 4AW
Website: rac.co.uk © Copyright 2016             XX0916
RAC Report on Motoring 2016 - The road to the future
9.0 Company overview

  RAC
RAC   Report
    Report onon Motoring
             Motoring                                                                                                   9.0 Company overview
  Contents
Contents                                                                                                                    Contacts
    Foreword
Foreword                                4     4   2.0   2.0
                                                         RoadRoad   safety
                                                               safety                             30   30   4.0         Withand
                                                                                                                  Air quality  more
                                                                                                                                  thethan  eight million 62
                                                                                                                                       environment       members          Advisory Panel
    Executive summary                         6   2.1   2.1  A rise
                                                         A rise      in phone
                                                                in phone       fears
                                                                           fears                  32   32   4.1         the RAC
                                                                                                                  Air quality      is one of the UK’s most
                                                                                                                              concerns                   64               This report was guided by the
Executive summary                       6               2.2
                                                  2.2        Pushing    the
                                                         Pushing the limits limits                38   38   4.2         progressive    motoring
                                                                                                                  Choice of next vehicle         organisations,
                                                                                                                                                         68               expert contributions of the RAC
      1.0  What’s  on motorists’ minds? 10   10         2.3  Drink
1.0   What’s  on motorists’  minds?               2.3    Drink  andand    drug-driving
                                                                     drug-driving                 42   42   4.3         providing
                                                                                                                  The emissions     services
                                                                                                                                 scandal  andfor both private and
                                                                                                                                              trust                       Report on Motoring Advisory Panel.
1.1   1.1  The cost of motoring
      The cost of motoring              14   14                                                                         business drivers.
                                                                                                                  in manufacturers                       72
                                                  3.0   3.0
                                                         The The  state
                                                              state     of our
                                                                    of our     roads
                                                                           roads                   46 46                                                                  Chaired by David Bizley,
1.2   1.2
      RoadRoad   safety
            safety                      22   22
                                                        3.1                                                                                                               Chief Engineer, RAC
      1.3  The state ofroads
                        our roads            26   3.1    Ongoing problems with local roads 48 48
                                                             Ongoing   problems  with local  roads          5.0   The carInofitsthe future
                                                                                                                                 role                     76
                                                                                                                                       as the motorist’s champion
1.3   The state of our                  26

                Do not print this page
                                                  3.2   3.2  Congestion
                                                         Congestion   andand  parking
                                                                          parking      difficulties54 54
                                                                                  difficulties              5.1   When will    we  see driverless cars?
                                                                                                                         the RAC campaigns to support the 78              David Davies, Executive Director,
      1.4 Congestion and parking             28                                                                                                                           Parliamentary Advisory Council for
1.4   Congestion and parking            28              3.3 Incident response and variable
                                                  3.3    Incident response and variable                     5.2   Trust in technology
                                                                                                                         interests    of its members and82UK              Transport Safety
                                                             message signs                            58
                                                         message signs                             58                  motorists   at a national level, including

                  (back cover) from
                                                                                                            6.0   RAC calls to action                   88                Stephen Joseph, Chief Executive,
                                                                                                                      advancing levels of road safety,                    Campaign for Better Transport
                                                                                                            7.0 Who issupporting
                                                                                                                       the motorist?               92drivers
                                                                                                                                  the needs of young                      Sarah Sillars, Chief Executive,
                                                                                                                      and voicing concerns about the

                   this document.
                                                                                                            8.0 Appendix                           93                     IAM RoadSmart
                                                                                                                      increasing
                                                                                                            8.1 Research         cost of motoring. 93
                                                                                                                          methodology                                     David Leibling,
                                                                                                                                                                          Transport and Motoring Consultant
                                                                                                            8.2   Statistical
                                                                                                                         The reliability            93
                                                                                                                              RAC is committed to making
                                                                                                                                                                          Graeme Paton, Transport Correspondent,

                Print from cover A/W
                                                                                                            9.0       motoring
                                                                                                                  Company       easier, safer, more affordable
                                                                                                                          overview/Contacts         95                    The Times
                                                                                                                        and more enjoyable for drivers and                Theo de Pencier, Non-executive Board
                                                                                                                        other road users. Many of the                     Member, Transport Focus

                 document supplied                                                                                      organisation’s products and services
                                                                                                                        aim to do just that: the RAC Cars
                                                                                                                        website allows anyone to sell their
                                                                                                                                                                          Daryl Lloyd, Head of Road Safety Statistics,
                                                                                                                                                                          Department for Transport
                                                                                                                                                                          Steve Gooding, Director,
                                                                                                                        car free of charge, the RAC Vehicle               RAC Foundation
                                                                                                                        Check gives would-be buyers valuable              Mike Hawes, Chief Executive,
                                                                                                                        insight into a vehicle’s past and RAC             Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
                                                                                                                        telematics helps make insuring a car              RAC Press Team
                                                                                                                        more affordable for young drivers.                Tel: 01454 664 123
                                                                                                                                                                          Email: press.enquiries@rac.co.uk
                                                                                                                        As the UK’s oldest motoring                       Credits
                                                                                                                        organisation the RAC continues                    Report author: Chris Torney
                                                                                                                                                                          Design & illustration: milestonecreative.co.uk
                                                                                                                        to be at the forefront of innovation,             Printing: The APS Group
                                                                                                                        driven by its vision to be the                    Connect
                                                                                                                        motorist’s champion and the one-                  RAC’s news releases and a selection of
                                                                                                                                                                          images are available from the RAC’s online
                                                                                                                        stop-shop for all motoring needs.                 press centre rac.co.uk/press-centre
                                                                                                                                                                               Follow the conversation on
                                                                                                                                                                               Facebook and Twitter:
                                                                                                                                                                               RAC
                                                                                                                                                                               on Facebook
                                                                                                                                                                               @TheRAC_UK and @RAC_Press
                                                                                                                                                                               on Twitter
                                                                                                                              A pdf copy of this report is available at        Share your thoughts directly with us
                                                                                                                              rac.co.uk/ROM2016                                – use #ROM2016 on Twitter
      2                                                                                                                                                                                                                          95
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RAC Report on Motoring 2016 - The road to the future
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                                                 Foreword

Foreword
Julia Bradbury
I am delighted to introduce the RAC’s 28th annual                         many areas across the UK are in a
                                                                          pretty poor state. It’s not surprising
                                                                                                                   As an ambassador for UK Scouting
                                                                                                                   I see many examples of how the
Report on Motoring. My enthusiasm for the great                           therefore that the state of local        movement helps to educate and
outdoors is well known and in my capacity as                              roads is the number-one concern          inform young people through
                                                                          for motorists in 2016.                   activities which are not only fun, but
president of The Camping and Caravanning (C&C)                                                                     also lay the foundations that help
                                                                          With fuel more affordable, it is
Club, I meet many fellow enthusiasts.                                     understandable that our roads
                                                                                                                   them to develop into responsible
                                                                                                                   members of society. The Cubs’
                                                                          have become busier over the last
                                                                                                                   road safety badge, which is a joint
                              We tend to take our cars for granted        year and this has translated into
                                                                                                                   initiative by the RAC and the Scout
                              but the majority of us who love             increased concern about congestion
                                                                                                                   Association and is ably supported
                              camping and caravanning depend              and lengthier journey times for
                                                                                                                   by the RAC’s Road Safety mascot
                              upon them, and the freedom that they        both local and longer trips. I am
                                                                                                                   Horace, is a great example of this.
                               give us, to travel to remote places to     sure many of the C&C Club’s
                                enjoy the scenery and explore the         members have experienced this            As in previous years, the report is
                                 area. The C&C Club has nearly            and are starting their journeys at       a fascinating window on motoring
                                  600,000 members from all walks          times when traffic is likely to be at    and the views of motorists. What’s
                                  of life and their views are likely to   its lightest.                            more, it offers insight that can help
                                  be a microcosm of those of the                                                   drive improvements for motorists
                                                                          The Report highlights that road
                                  wider motoring public.                                                           in the months and years ahead.
                                                                          safety issues are high on the list
                                 Fuel prices have been a top concern      of motorists’ concerns. But it’s the     Julia Bradbury
                                 for all drivers for a number of years    irresponsible behaviour of a small
                                 but with the fall in world oil prices,   minority of drivers that concern
                                 research for this year’s report          responsible motorists. It is
                                 shows that this has dropped down         those who insist on using their
                                 the list of motorists’ concerns          smartphones without a hands-free
                                 compared with previous years.            kit while driving, those who drive
                                                                          uninsured or untaxed vehicles,
                                     But we cannot say the same
                                                                          those who ignore traffic law and
                                        about the state of the roads.
                                                                          those who, despite all of the
                                          Driving into a pothole can
                                                                          warnings, still drive when over the
                                           do huge damage to any
                                                                          drink-drive limit, who increase
                                            vehicle’s wheels, tyres
                                                                          the risk of accidents for all of us.
                                              and suspension and
                                               while the country’s        The development of our attitudes
                                               motorways and              as road users starts when we are
                                                major roads are           young. We follow our parents’
                                                 generally in a           example and we learn from other
                                                   decent condition,      role models at school and in
                                                     rural roads in       outside interest groups.

4                                                                                                                                                                  5
RAC Report on Motoring 2016 - The road to the future
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                                                                               Executive summary

Executive summary

With more than                                       The poor condition of local roads is
                                                     becoming an even bigger concern.
                                                                                                         Motorists are becoming more
                                                                                                         worried about other drivers using
                                                                                                                                                   Falling fuel prices have reduced the
                                                                                                                                                   financial pressures on motorists.
38 million motorists                                                                                     their phones.
                                                     When asked to identify their top                                                              Falls in petrol and diesel prices in
in Great Britain1                                    concern, more motorists (14%) say                   Road safety is invariably a major         2015 and the early months of 2016
it is of vital importance                            the state and maintenance of local                  concern in the Report on Motoring,        mean that most motorists now
                                                     roads than any other matter. Local                  but this year’s research has identified   face lower vehicle running costs.
that the country’s                                   roads were also the most common                     a further significant increase in the     Only 7% of drivers say fuel prices
politicians, policymakers,                           top concern in 2015, but last year                  number of motorists who are worried       are their top concern this year,
transport authorities                                only 10% of respondents ranked                      about other drivers using handheld        down from 10% 12 months ago.
                                                     this issue at number one.                           mobile phones to make calls or
and motor industry take                                                                                  check messages and notifications.
                                                                                                                                                   However, the Report also found
                                                     The increase in dissatisfaction is                                                            that there has been little change in
their views and concerns                             not a surprise: while ministers                     More than two-fifths of those             overall expenditure on fuel, which
into account when                                    have pledged extra funds both for                   questioned (41%) said this was one        suggests that many motorists are
planning for the future.                             filling potholes and preventative
                                                     maintenance, the Government’s
                                                                                                         of their biggest concerns, a sharp
                                                                                                         rise on the 34% recorded in 2015.
                                                                                                                                                   simply taking advantage of lower
                                                                                                                                                   forecourt prices to use their cars
The 2016 RAC Report on Motoring                      own analysis suggests there is a                                                              more. Concern about the cost of
covers a wide range of topics,                                                                           Worryingly, a significant minority
                                                     multi-billion-pound backlog of                                                                insurance has increased and is now
from hardy perennials such as the                                                                        of motorists (31%) admit to having
                                                     repairs that is likely to take many                                                           number one for 7% of motorists.
price of fuel and the state of both                                                                      used a handheld phone to make
                                                     years to be addressed2.                                                                       Indeed, the cost of insurance is
local and major roads, to more                                                                           or receive calls while driving at
                                                                                                                                                   now a greater financial concern
contemporary issues like the                         There is strong support for                         some point in the past 12 months.
                                                                                                                                                   than the cost of fuel.
dangers of smartphone use and                        Government funding to be ring-fenced                Meanwhile, a fifth of drivers (20%)
motorists’ views on the introduction                 for local road maintenance: 32% of                  think it is safe to text or check
of driverless vehicles.                              motorists think this should be the                  social media while they are sitting
                                                     UK’s top transport investment                       in stationary traffic, despite this
The Report is based on research                      priority, while 80% think it should be              being against the law.
conducted with a representative                      a top-five priority. Indeed, almost half
sample of more than 1,700                            (45%) of drivers say they would be
motorists around the UK.                             willing to pay higher levels of vehicle
                                                     tax if the revenues were used to
As ever, it reveals drivers’ current
                                                     improve roads.
attitudes and concerns while also
painting a picture of how and why car
owners’ views are evolving over time.
The key findings in the 2016 Report
are as follows:

1. h ttps://data.gov.uk/dataset/driving-licence-data
2. www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443898/Productivity_Plan_web.pdf
6                                                                                                                                                                                                        7
RAC Report on Motoring 2016 - The road to the future
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                                                      Executive summary

Executive summary

Drivers are being increasingly         There is a growing trend for drivers    A significant percentage of motorists   The UK’s bid to become a pioneer
affected by congestion and slower      to break the speed limits on country    have serious concerns about the air     in the introduction of driverless
journey times.                         roads and in urban 20mph zones.         quality where they live.                vehicles may flounder unless
                                                                                                                       more effective action is taken to
A rise in road-traffic volumes over    The 2016 Report shows a worrying        More than a third of motorists
                                                                                                                       communicate the benefits of this
2015 – itself a result of lower fuel   trend with more motorists admitting     (34%) say they are worried about
                                                                                                                       technology to the general public.
prices and improved economic           to exceeding speed limits on country    their local air quality, while 40%
conditions – has resulted in more      roads and in the growing number of      of drivers say they are more            Most motorists (76%) do not expect
motorists complaining of higher        urban 20mph zones.                      concerned about this issue now          driverless cars to become available
congestion levels. Over a quarter                                              than 12 months ago. In terms of         to the public before the end of the
                                       While the number of drivers who
(27%) of those questioned say                                                  public policy, there appears to be      current decade, while only half
                                       admit to speeding in general has
congestion and longer journey                                                  strong support (from 66% of             (49%) expect autonomous vehicles
                                       not increased significantly over the
times are a top-four concern in                                                drivers) for action to cut vehicle      to outnumber conventional models
                                       past 12 months, the percentage of
2016, well up on the 18% recorded                                              pollution in the areas with the worst   by 2070 – this is despite ministers’
                                       motorists who admit to speeding on
last year. These concerns are                                                  air quality, while 55% of motorists     current plans to turn the UK into a
                                       country roads – which are where
greatest among those living in                                                 support the Clean Air Zones set to      leader in driverless-car technology.
                                       the majority of fatal accidents occur
the South East of England.                                                     be introduced in a number of cities
                                       – has risen from 38% to 48% over                                                The Government’s success in this
                                                                               by the end of the decade.
Seven in 10 motorists (71%) say        the last five years.                                                            endeavour will be heavily influenced
that the time taken to complete                                                Despite this, issues such as the        by its ability to convince motorists of
                                       The proportion who say they have
local journeys is becoming harder                                              environmental impact of motoring        the benefits of autonomous vehicles.
                                       broken the speed limit on 20mph
to predict, while a very similar                                               and pollution from diesel engines       At present, only a quarter of drivers
                                       roads has risen from 38% in 2011
proportion (70%) say the same                                                  rank low on the list of drivers’        (27%) believe such cars will lead to
                                       to 46%.
about trips on major roads.                                                    spontaneous concerns.                   safer roads, while a similarly low
                                       As in previous years, there is still                                            percentage (28%) expect driverless
The availability of parking has also
                                       a strong majority of drivers (66%)                                              cars to reduce congestion. Almost
become a greater concern in 2016:
                                       who believe the 70mph motorway                                                  half (48%) of respondents say they
14% of motorists say this is one of
                                       speed limit should be raised to                                                 are not looking forward to travelling
their top four concerns this year,
                                       80mph at least.                                                                 in a driverless vehicle.
compared with 8% in 2015.

8                                                                                                                                                                               9
RAC Report on Motoring 2016 - The road to the future
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                     1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

1.0
     What’s on
     motorists’
     minds?
      Since the election of the
      Conservative Government in
      May 2015, the UK economy has
      continued to grow at a steady
      pace while unemployment
      has fallen and wages risen.
      However, it remains to be seen
      what medium and long-term
      impact the June 2016 decision
      to leave the European Union will
      have on the nation’s prosperity. >

                                           Page 14                Page 22          Page 26
                                           The cost of motoring   Road safety      The state of our roads
10
RAC Report on Motoring 2016 - The road to the future
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                                              1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

                                                                                                                                       14%
With affluence increasing and           Perceived increases in congestion
lower forecourt prices, it comes        and difficulties in parking have also
as little surprise that the cost of     become more significant concerns,                   Number one
fuel has again gone down the            as has the cost of motor insurance.                 concerns
ranking of motorists’ concerns
since last year’s Report on
                                        At the same time, there has been a
                                        surprisingly sharp decline in concern
                                                                                            of motorists
                                                                                                                                    of motorists are most
Motoring was published.                 about drink-driving.
                                                                                                                                    concerned about the
But in other areas, worries are on      And while environmental issues
                                                                                                                                   condition of local roads
the rise. A far greater proportion of   such as the diesel emissions scandal

                                                                                                        13%
drivers are critical of the condition   have been prominent in news
of the roads near where they live,      reports in recent months, these

                                                                                                                                                                        5%
while there has also been a sharp       barely register as a major concern
increase in the number of people        among UK motorists.
who are concerned about the

                                                                       8%
irresponsible and potentially highly
dangerous behaviour of other                                                                    of drivers are most concerned
motorists, in particular those who                                                              about drivers using a handheld
                                                                                                 mobile phone to talk, text or                                  worry most about other
use handheld mobile phones while
                                                                                               access the internet while driving                                motorists driving under
at the wheel.                                                     of drivers say the cost                                                                       the influence of alcohol
                                                                   of insurance is their

                                                                                                                          7%
                                                                     biggest concern

                                                                                                                   worry most about traffic
                                                                                                                     congestion/slower
                                                                                                                       journey times

                                                              7%
                                                    worry most about people
                                                     driving cars without tax
                                                           or insurance

12                                                                                                                                                                                   13
RAC Report on Motoring 2016 - The road to the future
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                                                                                                                          1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

             1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

                1.1 The cost of motoring                                   many forecourts were selling both                                                         By way of contrast, the equivalent         GDP grew by 2.2% over the course
                Ongoing global economic uncertainty                        for less than £1 a litre. By way of                                                       figures for 2014 and 2013 – at a           of 2015, and by a further 0.4% in
                coupled with oversupply from oil-                          comparison, in June and July 2015,                                                        time when fuel was significantly           the first three months of this year5.
                producing nations has led to much                          petrol averaged more than 115p a                                                          more expensive – were 47% and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                At the same time, wage growth has
                lower oil prices and the cost of fuel                      litre and diesel more than 120p4.                                                         63% respectively.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                remained positive: in April 2016, the
                in the UK fell accordingly, reaching
                                                                           It is hardly surprising therefore                                                         In addition to cheaper petrol and          Office for National Statistics reported
                low prices not seen for seven years.
                                                                           that the price of fuel has become                                                         diesel prices, increased economic          an average weekly earnings growth
                At the start of 2016, the price of a                       far less of a concern for UK road                                                         prosperity has no doubt played a           rate of 2%, well ahead of inflation.
                barrel of crude dipped below $30                           users this year: just 7% of those                                                         part in reducing concerns about
                – its lowest level for 12 years and                        questioned say the price of filling                                                       vehicle running costs. The UK’s

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Diesel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Diesel

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Unleaded
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Unleaded
                less than half of what it was just six                     up is their top motoring concern,
                months earlier – and pump prices                           down from 10% in 2015.
                in Britain followed3.
                RAC Fuel Watch data shows that the
                                                                           Less than a quarter – 24% – named
                                                                           expenditure on fuel as one of their
                                                                                                                                                                               The cost of fuel
                average price of a litre of unleaded                       four most pressing concerns in                                                                               Retail Diesel                   Wholesale Diesel
                in January 2016 was just over 102p                         2016, down slightly from the 26%
                while diesel was down to 101p – and                        12 months ago.                                                                                               Retail Unleaded                 Wholesale Unleaded

                           120
                            120
             cost pence/litre
                  pence/litre

                           110
                            110
        fuel cost
Average fuel

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          RAC Fuel Watch provides a daily
                           100
                            100                                                                                                                                                                                                                           insight into how petrol and diesel
Average

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          prices are changing – both on
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          the wholesale market and on the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          forecourt – as well as a detailed
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          monthly analysis of how much
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          prices have gone up or down.
                                90
                                 90
                                      August
                                       August2015
                                              2015   September
                                                      September2015
                                                                2015   October
                                                                        October2015
                                                                                2015   November
                                                                                        November2015
                                                                                                 2015   December
                                                                                                         December2015
                                                                                                                  2015          January
                                                                                                                                 January2016
                                                                                                                                         2016   February
                                                                                                                                                 February2016
                                                                                                                                                          2016   March
                                                                                                                                                                  March2016
                                                                                                                                                                        2016     April
                                                                                                                                                                                  April2016
                                                                                                                                                                                        2016        May
                                                                                                                                                                                                     May2016
                                                                                                                                                                                                         2016    June
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  June2016
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       2016           July
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       July2016
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2016          See rac.co.uk/fuelwatch

                3. R AC Fuel Watch                                                                                                                                                                                           Source: Experian Catalist
                4. www.rac.co.uk/press-centre#/blog_posts/average-uk-wholesale-and-pump-fuel-prices-since-january-2015-42326
                5. www.ons.gov.uk
                14                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      15
RAC Report on Motoring 2016 - The road to the future
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                         1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

Following June’s EU referendum,             That said, the process of
the outlook for both the UK                 renegotiating trade deals with our
economy and fuel prices has                 European partners and of actually
become less clear. A recovery in the        leaving the EU is likely to take
oil price in the spring of 2016 means       many months and involves a high
that forecourt costs have started to        degree of uncertainty making it
creep back up again. But with OPEC          extremely difficult to speculate
– the Organisation of the Petroleum         about future economic conditions.
Exporting Countries – seemingly
                                            In the 2015 Report on Motoring, the
committed to exerting downward
                                            RAC called for greater transparency
pressure on oil prices in order to
                                            over how retailers set prices for
retain market share through a policy
                                            petrol and diesel. This was due in part
of excess supply, wholesale prices
                                            to the fact that diesel vehicle owners
– in dollar terms at least – are
                                            had failed to see any benefit from the
expected to remain relatively low.
                                            diesel wholesale price falling below
For British motorists, however,             that of petrol in the second quarter
the weaker value of sterling                of 2015: during this period, average
following the EU referendum could           diesel pump prices remained
feed through into higher pump               stubbornly higher than petrol, in
prices in the coming months.                the RAC’s view, for no good reason.

                                                                                         Over the past 12 months, the situation has improved to
                                                                                         some extent, with changes in the wholesale prices of
                                                                                         each type of fuel being more consistently reflected on
                                                                                         the UK’s forecourts: it should be of some consolation to
                       “Fuel has been plummeting for a year so it’s no                  drivers of diesel vehicles that they are no longer being
                         surprise that pump prices have fallen down the
                         list of priorities for British motorists.                       charged the 5p-a-litre premium that was commonplace
                       But with the Chancellor claiming three-quarters of every          in the early months of last year. However, retailers do
                       pound spent on the forecourts, it won’t take much for that to
                       change. I’d expect to see fuel prices rocket in motorists’ list   at times still appear to be particularly slow off the mark
                       of concerns next year if the impact of Brexit really bites.”      when it comes to passing on falls in diesel wholesale
                       GRAEME PATON
                       Transport Correspondent
                                                                                         prices to their customers. This is no doubt at least
                       The Times                                                         partly due to the media’s tendency to focus on unleaded
                                                                                         prices when reporting on changes in fuel costs.

16                                                                                                                                                              17
RAC Report on Motoring 2016 - The road to the future
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                      1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

Transparency over the prices
charged for fuel at motorway
                                        Moreover, initial results from this
                                        trial have been disappointing, with
                                                                                 The Conservatives’ decision to
services has also been an important     little if any reduction in fuel prices   extend the fuel-duty freeze
issue facing drivers in recent years.   reported across the motorway             introduced by the coalition in
Progress in tackling this problem       service stations involved.
has been frustratingly slow, despite
                                                                                 2011 has clearly helped, though
                                        Lower petrol and diesel prices
firm commitments from both the
                                        have had little significant impact
                                                                                 UK fuel tax rates are higher
previous coalition Government
and the current Conservative
                                        on how much motorists feel they          than much of the rest of Europe.
                                        are spending on fuel: just 31%
administration to take action.
                                        of those surveyed say they are
More than three years ago, the          spending more on filling up than
Office of Fair Trading recommended      12 months ago compared with
installing signs on the motorway        32% who say their expenditure is
network to show fuel prices             falling. The respective figures in
at upcoming service stations:           2015 were 31% and 33%. However,
this proposal was intended to           lower pump prices may simply
allow drivers to shop around            result in some motorists using
more easily, thereby increasing         their cars more, thus offsetting
competition between retailers and       any benefit of the price reduction.
driving down what were thought
to be excessively high prices.
The coalition originally promised
that a trial of such signs on the M5
near Bristol would begin in early
2015. But a succession of delays
                                        31%
                                        of motorists surveyed say they
                                        are spending more on filling up
meant the pilot scheme was not          than 12 months ago
introduced until March this year.

                                        34%
                                        of motorists say their
                                        expenditure on fuel is falling

18                                                                                                                           19
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                           RAC call to action:                                                                                        1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?
                                                                                      Cost of motoring: see page 88

1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

While most drivers say the cost                          One factor that has helped to push
of taxing their vehicles has not                         costs up is the decision by the
changed in the past year, 30% say                        Government to increase the rate
it has risen – exactly the same                          of Insurance Premium Tax to 9.5%
proportion as in 2015.                                   from 6% last autumn, and then to
                                                         10% in the March 2016 Budget.
A slightly smaller proportion than
in 2015 (44% versus 41%) reported                        Insurance price rises were reflected
that their car maintenance bills had                     in motorists’ general concerns:
increased in the past 12 months.                         8% say insurance bills are their
There was also a strong rise in the                      top concern in 2016, compared with
proportion of motorists who say                          just 5% last year. In fact, the cost
their motor insurance premiums                           of cover ranks as the third most
have risen: almost half (46%) say                        common top concern, behind the
their car insurance costs have                           condition of local roads and drivers
increased since last year compared                       using handheld phones.
with 34% who said the same in 2015.
                                                         And more than a quarter of motorists
This is borne out by industry data,                      (26%) say insurance prices are one of
which shows the average premium                          their four most serious concerns this
rose by 14% in the 12 months to                          year. Only 18% did so in 2015.
March 2016, from £590 to £6716.

Average insurance
premium cost increase
                                                                                     2016                             46%
                                                                                                                      of motorists have felt a rise in
                                                                                                                      insurance premiums over the
                                                                                                                      last 12 months

  2015

                                                                                                                                                   “The cost of insurance is one of our members’
                                                                                                                                                     biggest concerns because prices are going up, and

        590                                                                              671
                                                                                                                                                     the whole market is rising – but people are saying,
                                                                                                                                                    ‘I haven’t had an accident so therefore with my

  £                                                                                  £                                                               track record, why are my premiums going up?’”
                                                                                                                                                    SARAH SILLARS
                                                                                                                                                    Chief Executive
                                                                                                                                                    IAM RoadSmart

6. www.confused.com/car-insurance/price-index/overall
20                                                                                                                                                                                                                           21
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                                                         1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

1.2 Road safety                            There has also been a rise in overall
There is growing concern among             concern about other drivers breaking
motorists about the irresponsible          traffic laws: 23% say this is a top-      Road safety concerns
and potentially highly dangerous           four concern, up from 19% last year.
behaviour of other road users.
                                           Overall concern about drink-driving
More than two in five (41%) of
                                           is high but has fallen (22% now cite
motorists say that drivers using
                                           this as a top-four concern, down

                                                                                           41%                             22%                           17%
handheld mobile phones – whether
                                           from 29% in 2015). Likewise,
to make and receive calls, send text
                                           concern about driving under the
messages, or browse the internet –
                                           influence of illegal drugs or banned
is one of their top four concerns, up
                                           prescription medication is down by
from a third (34%) in 2015 – a higher
                                           a small amount (total concern is
percentage than for any other issue.
                                           17% compared with 19% last year).
And 13% of drivers say that use
of handheld phones by other                                                          of motorists say that drivers    of motorists cite drink       of motorists are concerned
                                                                                     using handheld mobile            driving as one of their top   about people driving
motorists is their number-one                                                        phones – whether to make         four concerns                 under the influence of
concern in 2016 – only the condition                                                 and receive calls, send text                                   illegal drugs or banned
and maintenance of local roads                                                       messages, or browse the                                        prescription medication
                                                                                     internet – is one of their top
(14%) is cited as a bigger issue.                                                    four concerns

                                                                                     There is growing concern among motorists
                       “Concern among motorists over drink-driving has
                         fallen this year, even though the number of deaths          about the irresponsible and potentially highly
                         involving a driver over the limit has remained at           dangerous behaviour of other road users.
                         the same level.
                        It may simply be that motorists are more aware of other
                        issues, such as mobile phones. However, drink-driving
                        remains a major killer – some 240 deaths a year – and must
                        remain a priority for road safety.”
                        DAVID DAVIES
                        Executive Director
                        Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety

22                                                                                                                                                                                              23
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                           RAC call to action:                                        1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?
                                                                                                      Road safety: see page 88

1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

While not as potentially hazardous                    The continuing year-on-year
as handheld phone use or drink                        decline in the number of dedicated
and drug-driving, rudeness is also                    roads policing officers over recent
a more serious issue for motorists                    years7 is likely only to have fuelled
in 2016: over a fifth (21%) now say                   fears that irresponsible driving will
this is a concern, up from 15%                        go unpunished: 6% of motorists say
12 months ago.                                        this issue is a top-four concern.
There has been a further small                        Finally, concern about untaxed
increase in concern about the                         vehicles and/or uninsured drivers
behaviour of cyclists on the road:                    remains high: 27% name this as a
18% of motorists cite this as an                      top-four concern, up very slightly
issue, up from 16% in 2015.                           from last year’s 26%. The RAC
                                                      warned that Vehicle Excise Duty
                                                      (VED) revenues could suffer as a
                                                      result of increased evasion after the
                                                      tax disc was scrapped in October
                                                      2014, and motorists were no longer
                                                      required to display evidence they
                                                      have paid their road tax.

                                                      Figures published in the
                                                      DVLA’s annual report
                                                      and accounts in July
                                                      showed VED revenue
                                                      fell by £93m in the year

                                                                                                                                 18%                               21%
                                                      following the abolition
                                                      of the paper tax disc.
                                                                                                                                 of drivers cite concern about      of motorists think rudeness is
                                                                                                                                 the behaviour of cyclists on       now a more serious concern
                                                                                                                                 the road as an issue
7. w
    ww.rac.co.uk/press-centre#/pressreleases/2015-sees-further-fall-in-numbers-of-dedicated-roads-
   policing-officers-1414666
24                                                                                                                                                                                               25
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                         RAC call to action:                                                                                          1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?
                                                                                    The state of our roads: see page 90

1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

1.3 The state of our roads                          The Government has committed                                          Half of motorists (51%) say the          Four-fifths (80%) think local road
For one in every seven motorists                    to invest £6bn into local road                                        state of the roads in their area has     maintenance should be a top-five
(14%), the condition and maintenance                maintenance between 2015 and                                          worsened over the past 12 months,        spending priority (78% in 2015).
of local roads is their most                        20218 while in the March 2016                                         with the preponderance of potholes

                                                                                                                                                                   51%
pressing concern, making it the                     Budget, the Conservatives agreed                                      by far the main culprit. This is
most serious issue in this year’s                   to set up a £50m-a-year Pothole                                       against just 9% who say their local
Report on Motoring. Problems with                   Action Fund to deal with the most                                     roads have in fact improved.
deteriorating road surfaces and                     serious road-surface defects9.                                                                                 of motorists say the state
                                                                                                                          By way of contrast, only 2% of drivers
potholes have been growing for many                                                                                                                                of the roads in their area
                                                    But it appears these policies have                                    say the state of our motorways is        has worsened over the past
years now, but matters appear to be
                                                    so far failed to have any material                                    a top concern, while a total of 12%      12 months
getting worse at an alarming rate,
                                                    impact on motorists’ perceptions on                                   named this as one of their four most
according to the drivers the RAC
                                                    the condition of local roads. This is                                 serious concerns.

                                                                                                                                                                   80%
surveyed. In 2015, only 10% named
                                                    not really surprising given that the
local roads as their top concern.                                                                                         Not surprisingly, a third of motorists
                                                    Department for Transport’s own
                                                                                                                          (32%) still think that maintenance
Almost two-fifths of motorists                      analysis suggested that there was
                                                                                                                          of local roads should be the
(38%) listed local road conditions                  an £8.6bn backlog10 in local road                                                                              of drivers think local road
                                                                                                                          Government’s top priority when
as a top-four concern this year,                    maintenance and independent                                                                                    maintenance should be a
                                                                                                                          it comes to transport investment         top-five spending priority
up from less than a third (30%)                     analysis suggests the backlog may
                                                                                                                          – a slight rise on last year’s 30%.
12 months ago.                                      be even greater11.

8.	www.gov.uk/government/news/6-billion-funding-to-tackle-potholes-and-improve-local-roads
9.	www.gov.uk/government/news/cash-for-councils-to-fill-almost-1-million-potholes
10.	
    www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443898/Productivity_Plan_web.pdf
11.	
    www.asphaltindustryalliance.com/images/library/files/ALARM%202016/ALARM_survey_2016_full_report.pdf
26                                                                                                                                                                                                                           27
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                                                                             1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?

1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?                                                                                                                                                      RAC call to action:
                                                                                                                                                                                      The state of our roads: see page 90

1.4 Congestion and parking
Motorists have reported a sharp rise                 that typical traffic speeds were                           (14%) say that the availability of     emissions claims made by motor
in concern about congestion and                      down, with average delays up by                            parking is one of their four biggest   manufacturers. Even fewer (6%)
journey times this year. More than                   5.5% on 2014.                                              concerns this year, a significant      are concerned about the impact
a quarter of drivers (27%) say these                                                                            increase on the 8% recorded last       of diesel emissions on health.
                                                     It is highly likely that road traffic
issues are among their top four                                                                                 year. The cost of parking is an even
                                                     volumes are up as a result of a                                                                   Nevertheless, as the findings
concerns – this represents a very                                                                               more serious issue: almost a fifth
                                                     number of factors including the                                                                   highlighted later in this report
substantial rise on the 18% recorded                                                                            (18%) now say this is a top-four
                                                     ongoing falls in the price of fuel,                                                               will show, there are still high levels
in 2015. Meanwhile, 7% named high                                                                               concern compared with one in eight
                                                     increases in wages making motoring                                                                of awareness – if not outright
levels of traffic and resulting delays                                                                          (12%) in 2015.
                                                     more affordable, and general                                                                      concern – of these matters among
as their number-one concern
                                                     economic prosperity increasing                             It is worth noting also that the       Britain’s motorists.
compared with 5% last year.
                                                     commercial vehicle traffic.                                environmental impact of vehicle
These views reflected Department                                                                                use ranked very low on most
                                                     Given the rising level of concern
for Transport (DfT) estimates of                                                                                motorists’ list of concerns, despite
                                                     about congestion, it comes as little

                                                                                                                                                       18%
traffic volumes in 2015, which                                                                                  the relatively high level of media
                                                     surprise to learn that motorists
showed a 1.6% increase on the                                                                                   coverage of such issues over the
                                                     report they are also facing greater
previous year to a total of 317bn                                                                               last 12 months. Just 7% named
                                                     difficulties in parking. One in seven
vehicle miles12. The DfT also found                                                                             environmental impact as a top-
                                                                                                                four concern, while the same           of motorists say the cost of
                                                                                                                                                       parking is now one of their
                                                                                                                proportion are worried about the       top four concerns
                                                                                                                accuracy of fuel efficiency and
12. w
     ww.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/524267/road-traffic-estimates-gb-2015-
    summary-factsheet.pdf
28                                                                                                                                                                                                                    29
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                             2.0 Road safety

     2.0
     Road
     safety
      The dangers posed by the illegal
      and irresponsible behaviour of
      other drivers have become one
      of UK motorists’ most pressing
      concerns, according to the 2016
      Report on Motoring. In particular,
      the use of handheld mobile phones,
      whether for calls, text messages or
      internet access, is now viewed as a
      significant threat to road safety. >

                                             Page 32                 60 Page   38            Page 42
                                             A rise in phone fears      Pushing the limits   Drink and drug-driving
30
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                            2.0 Road safety

2.0 Road safety

In more general terms, there is        2.1 A rise in phone fears                    Motorists’ attitudes to handheld mobile
now a higher level of concern          Motorists are particularly concerned
about traffic law-breaking, such       about other drivers using handheld           phone use while driving
as speeding or jumping red lights.     mobile phones while in charge of their
The RAC’s research suggests this       vehicles – and these levels of concern
could be, at least in part, due to     have risen dramatically since the 2015
a decline in the numbers of roads      Report on Motoring was published.
policing officers in recent years,     Last year just over a third (34%) said
with more motorists taking the         that use of a handheld phone for
view that they are increasingly        talking, texting or internet access                                    admitted to using

                                                                                                   48%
likely to ‘get away with it’.          was one of their top four concerns.                                    their phone at the
                                       In 2016, the figure has risen to 41%.                                  wheel to make or
Concern about other people driving                                                                            receive calls while
under the influence of alcohol has     This year 13% of those questioned                                      in stationary traffic
fallen to some degree, even though     said phone use by others was their
the proportion of motorists who        number-one concern, up from 10% in
admit to drink-driving appears         2015, and second only to the condition                                 admitted to using

                                                                                                   31%
to have increased over the past        and maintenance of local roads as                                      their phone to
12 months. And while there has         this year’s most common chief                                          make or receive
been no significant rise in drivers’   concern (cited by 14% of motorists).                                   calls while driving
tendency to break 30mph and
                                       It is difficult to say to what extent the
70mph speed limits since the 2015
                                       distractions from handheld mobile
Report was published, there is a
                                       phone use cause accidents, or                                          said they have used
clear long-term trend towards

                                                                                                   14%
                                       whether this problem has become                                        their smartphones
increased levels of speeding both
                                       more acute, but it is likely that official                             to take photos or
on 50mph/60mph country roads
                                       statistics understate the problem.                                     video while driving
and in urban 20mph zones.

                                                                                                              think it is acceptable

                                                                                                   20%        to check social
                                                                                                              media while sitting
                                                                                                              in traffic

32                                                                                                                                                 33
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                               2.0 Road safety

2.0 Road safety

Despite this high level of concern,        Almost half of drivers (49%) have
a significant minority of motorists        done so in the past year, while 46%
do admit to using handheld phones          admit to having checked texts, emails
to make or receive calls while             or social media while stationary.
driving. Almost a third (31%) have
                                           The idea that it is acceptable to
done so at least once in the past
                                           use a phone while stuck in traffic
12 months: 15% say they rarely do
                                           or queuing at a set of lights, for
so, 10% say they use their phones
                                           example, seems to be gaining
in this way only sometimes, while
                                           currency. A fifth of motorists (20%)
6% admit using handheld phones
                                           say they agree with the statement
at the wheel most or all of the time.
                                           ‘It is safe to text or check social
Motorists are much more likely to          media on your phone when
use their handheld phones while            stationary’, up from 17% in 2015.
sitting in stationary traffic with their
                                           And equally worryingly, taking
engines on, despite the fact that this
                                           phone calls on a handheld phone
is also against the law.
                                           while driving is unacceptable to
                                           fewer motorists this year; only
                                           78% thought taking a quick call
                                           was unacceptable, down from
                                           83% 12 months ago.
                                           As for the reasons given for using a
                                           handheld phone while driving, 23%
                                           say ‘It was an emergency’, while
                                           21% did so to obtain information

     46%
                                           needed for their journeys; 20%
                                           made a call because ‘It could have
                                           been an emergency’.                     “We surveyed 7,000 drivers and 95% of them rated
     of people admit                                                                 their own driving as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ and it
     to having checked                                                               was everybody else on the road that they were
     texts, emails or                                                                worried about. This ties into the concern about

                                           78%
     social media while
     stationary
                                                                                     road safety where people think, ‘it’s not me; it’s
                                                                                     everybody else’.”
                                                                                   SARAH SILLARS
                                                                                   Chief Executive
                                           of motorists think taking quick
                                                                                   IAM RoadSmart
                                           phone calls on a handheld phone
                                           while driving is unacceptable

34                                                                                                                                                    35
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                             RAC call to action:                                                                                             2.0 Road safety
                                                                                        Road safety: see page 88

2.0 Road safety

Figures for other types of phone             statistics and accidents attributable                                 Driver distractions

                                                                                                                                                                  40%
use while in control of a moving             to such distractions are all too often
vehicle are particularly alarming:           simply attributed to ‘driver error’.                                  say they have actually
26% admit they have checked                                                                                        used their phones to take
                                             A fifth (18%) of drivers cited being
messages while driving in the last                                                                                 pictures or record videos
                                             distracted by their mobile ringing,                                   while at the wheel
12 months, while 19% have written
                                             while 11% say using their mobile                                                                                        of motorists cited                admit they have
and sent texts, emails or social                                                                                                                                 tiredness as one of their             checked messages
                                             is a distraction. Only one in six
media updates, despite the huge                                                                                                                                     top five distractions              while driving in the
                                             motorists (16%) claim that they

                                                                                                                                               14%
distractions involved. Finally, one                                                                                                                                                                    last 12 months
                                             don’t get distracted while driving.
in seven motorists (14%) say they
have actually used their phones to           While concerns over the behaviour

                                                                                                                                                                                       26%
take pictures or record videos while         of other drivers have grown,
at the wheel.                                more people think that the roads
                                             themselves are safer now than in
The 2016 Report on Motoring has
                                             the past (46% against 42% in 2015),
also looked at the wider distractions
                                             and almost two-thirds (63%) believe
reported by drivers. The most
                                             that driver-assistance technologies,

                                                                                                                                                                                        46%
common is tiredness, cited by 40%

                                                                                                                         18%
of motorists as one of their top five
                                             which are increasingly common in                                                                         HANDHELD
                                             the latest generations of vehicles,
distractions, followed by passengers
                                             are making driving safer. And not                                                                       MOBILE PHONE
talking (39%) and ’something
interesting happening outside the
                                             surprisingly, 84% of motorists agree                                                                        USE
                                             that cars are safer than they used
car’ (37%). Such distractions,                                                                                             of drivers cited being                                       of motorists think that the
                                             to be (86% in 2015).
however, rarely appear in casualty

                                                                                                                                                           19%
                                                                                                                            distracted by their                                        roads themselves are safer
                                                                                                                               mobile ringing                                              now than in the past

                       “It is interesting to see that tiredness is cited as                                                                            of drivers have written
                         the number-one distraction for drivers. One of                                                                                and sent texts, emails or
                                                                                                                                                        social media updates
                         the key reasons that people pull off into service
                         areas is just to have a bit of a break.
                        But there are issues concerning the limits put on how long
                        motorists can stay in service areas. If you put the seat back
                        and get your head down for a couple of hours, then that is
                        the responsible thing to do, and you don’t expect someone
                        to come along and slap a charge on you as a result.”
                       THEO DE PENCIER
                       Non-executive Board Member
                       Transport Focus

36                                                                                                                                                                                                                     37
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                         2.0 Road safety

2.0 Road safety

2.2 Pushing the limits                                 A greater propensity to speed
There has been no significant                          on country roads is particularly
change in the number of motorists                      worrying given that they are
who admit to speeding in 2016                          where the majority of fatal
overall. But this year’s research                      accidents occur13.
points to a longer term trend for
                                                       According to Department for
drivers to increasingly exceed limits
                                                       Transport statistics published
both on country roads – where
                                                       in June 2016, 51% of fatal
limits may be 50mph or 60mph
                                                       casualties occurred on ‘non-
– and in the growing number of
                                                       built-up roads’ in 2015, compared
urban 20mph zones.
                                                       with 43% on roads in built-up
Among all drivers, there has been                      areas and 6% on motorways.
an increase in concern regarding
                                                       Overall, however, the DfT figures

                                                                                                    51%
motorists who break traffic laws:
                                                       showed a welcome fall in the overall
this is a top-four concern for 23%
                                                       number of casualties last year,
of those questioned, up from 19%
                                                       which is particularly good news
in 2015.
                                                       given the increase recorded in 2014.         of fatalities occurred on
There has been no change in the                                                                     ‘non-built-up roads’ in 2015
                                                       The fact that more drivers say
proportion of motorists who say they
                                                       they exceed the limit on 20mph
frequently or occasionally break the

                                                                                                    48%
                                                       roads can be explained in part at
speed limits on motorways (70%)
or on 30mph urban roads (44%).
But over the past five years, the
                                                       least by the fact that the number
                                                       of 20mph zones is thought to have                                   60
                                                       increased significantly over recent
number who admit they speed on
                                                       years. In some areas, local                  of motorists admit they speed
country roads has grown from 38%                                                                    on country roads
                                                       authorities are applying 20mph
to 48% (up from 46% in 2015), while
                                                       limits to busy through-routes
the figure for 20mph roads has risen
                                                       where users believe they can
from 38% in 2011 to 46% this year
                                                       safely travel at higher speeds.
(44% in 2015).

13. www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-in-great-britain-main-results-2015
38                                                                                                                                              39
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                           RAC call to action:                                                               2.0 Road safety
                                                                                                      Road safety: see page 88

2.0 Road safety

There is no official record of the                    39% say it is acceptable to travel at
number or extent of 20mph zones                       80mph on the motorway, while 23%
which have been introduced by local                   say it is OK to do 25mph in a 20mph
authorities in the UK, although the                   zone, and 14% say it is acceptable to
DfT says it is now ‘considering the                   drive at 40mph on a 30mph road.
best way’ to measure the growth of
                                                      The fall in the number of roads
such zones14.
                                                      policing officers may have had some
There is less acceptance of 20mph                     impact on motorists’ willingness to
limits among motorists than there                     break the speed limit. Government
is of 30mph limits. Two-fifths (41%)                  figures show that the total number of
of drivers think the limit in 20mph                   dedicated roads police in England and
areas should be higher (33% in                        Wales fell by 27% between 2010 and
2015), compared with only 22% who                     201515 from 5,338 to 3,901. The 2016
take the same view of 30mph areas                     Report on Motoring found that 27%
(16% in 2015).                                        of drivers agree with the statement
                                                      ‘I don’t think I am very likely to get
At the same time, a majority of
                                                      caught if I break most motoring laws’,
motorists (66%) still believe the
                                                      up from 24% in 2015. A clear majority
70mph motorway limit should be
                                                      (61% compared with 62% in 2015)
raised to at least 80mph, a finding
                                                      believe there are not enough police
that has emerged from research for
                                                      on the roads enforcing driving laws.
the Report every year since 2010.
This year’s Report shows little
change in motorists’ views of
the acceptability of speeding:
                                                                                                                                 “In my view, the reason why an increasing number
                                                                                                                                   of motorists say they exceed the 20mph limit is
Number of dedicated roads policing                                                                                                 that initially they understood why these zones
                                                                                                                                   were put in place. But now we have a proliferation
officers in England and Wales
                                                                                                                                   of them and many drivers don’t understand why
                                                                                                                                   and so are less inclined to comply. For example,
2010                                                  2015                                                                         in some areas, 20mph limits are being imposed

5,338                                                3,901
                                                                                                                                   on major through-routes.”
                                                                                                                                 DAVID BIZLEY
                                                                                                                                 Chief Engineer
                                                                                                                                 RAC

14. w ww.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-in-great-britain-main-results-2015
15. www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/
     Commons/2015-01-28/222445/
40                                                                                                                                                                                                  41
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                                       2.0 Road safety

2.0 Road safety

2.3 Drink and drug-driving
Drink-driving remains a significant
                                         The rate in Scotland is lower than
                                         the UK average, and this may be
                                                                                   The debate about whether England and Wales
issue of concern for motorists in        due to the fact that there has been       should reduce the limit to 50mg/100ml from the
the UK, but this year has seen a         a lower blood-alcohol limit than the      current 80mg/100ml level is ongoing.
surprising fall in the number that       rest of the UK in force north of the
cite it as one of their top four         border since December 2014.
biggest concerns, from 29% in 2015

                                                                                   22%                       6%
                                         The debate about whether England
to 22%. Similarly, 12 months ago
                                         and Wales should reduce the limit
9% of motorists said drink-driving
                                         to 50mg/100ml from the current
was their top concern but this has
                                         80mg/100ml level is ongoing.
dropped to 5%. It is possible that
                                         Earlier this year, the Department for     of motorists cite         of people admit to having driven
this fall is attributable to a lower                                               drink‑driving as one of   while over the limit shortly after
                                         Transport said that there were no
level of press coverage of accidents                                               their top four concerns   drinking over the past year
                                         plans to review the law as it stands16.
arising from drink-driving and a
targeted approach by the THINK!          Instead ministers said they
campaign that restricts advertising      viewed ‘rigorous enforcement
to those times of the year, primarily    and serious penalties’ as a more
in December, when the risk is            effective deterrent.
perceived to be greatest.
                                         In Northern Ireland, however,
Nevertheless, the Report does            a 50mg/100ml limit is to be
show a small rise in the number of       introduced in 2018, with even
people who admit to having driven        tougher restrictions on
while over the limit over the past       professional and learner drivers.
year: 6% say they have done so
shortly after drinking, up from 4%

                                         2%
in 2015, while 2% say they have got
behind the wheel the morning after
drinking despite thinking they were
still over the limit (1% in 2015).
                                         of motorists say they have got
As previous statistics have shown, it    behind the wheel the morning
                                         after drinking believing they
is people under the age of 45 who are    were over the limit
most likely to admit to drink-driving.

16. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35530352
42                                                                                                                                                            43
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                RAC call to action:                                                            2.0 Road safety
                                                                           Road safety: see page 88

2.0 Road safety

The 2016 Report on Motoring once        prescription medication: 7% say
again shows strong support among        they have done so in the past 12
motorists for a lower drink-drive       months compared with 6% in 2015.
limit across the whole of the UK with
                                        There is some evidence to suggest
57% in favour. More specifically, 36%
                                        that of those who have driven after
think it should be 50mg/100ml and
                                        taking class A, B or C drugs, more
21% think it should be 20mg/100ml.
                                        than two-thirds are under 35.
Opinion is split over whether a         But of those who have driven with
lower UK-wide limit of 50mg/100ml       banned prescription drugs in their
would be effective in deterring         system* the age profile is a little
drink-drivers. Two-fifths (40%)         different, with 43% in the 35 or
think it would help, against 37%        over category, 40% aged between
who don’t. Interestingly, 60% of        25 and 34, and 17% under 25.
Scottish motorists think a
reduction would be effective,
which is perhaps a reflection of

                                                     40%
their positive experience since the
law was changed two years ago.
Among those who think a lower
limit will not have an impact,                       of motorists think
two-thirds (66%) say this is because                 a lower drink-drive
they do not expect a change in the                   limit of 50mg/100ml
                                                     would help deter
law to deter habitual drink-drivers.                 drink-drivers
There was little change in the
percentage of motorists who admit
to driving under the influence                                                                        “It would be a poor argument to call for a
either of illegal drugs or banned                                                                       reduction in the drink-drive limit just because
                                                                                                        others have done it, but there is now plenty of
                                                                                                        data to show that a change could save lives

43%
                                                                                                        – our own research estimated that a cut could
                                                                                                        save around 25 lives a year.”
                                                                                                      STEVE GOODING
of those who have driven with                                                                         Director
banned prescription drugs in                                                                          RAC Foundation
their system* are aged 35 or over

*Small research sample

44                                                                                                                                                                    45
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                           3.0 The state of our roads

     3.0
     The
     state of
     our roads
      The poor condition and lack of
      adequate maintenance of local
      roads remains the issue of
      biggest concern among drivers,
      this year’s Report on Motoring
      has found. But concerns appear
      to be worsening, with 14% citing
      local roads as their top concern,
      up from 10% in 2015. >

                                          Page 48            Page 54                Page 58
                                          Ongoing problems   Congestion and         Incident response and
46                                        with local roads   parking difficulties   variable message signs
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                                                                                                     3.0 The state of our roads

3.0 The state of our roads

Motorists are more sanguine
about the state of major roads and
                                       Just over half of drivers (51%
                                       compared with 50% in 2015) say
                                                                                Condition of motorways and local roads

                                                                                                                                             51%
motorways, but with an increase in     the condition of the roads in their
traffic volumes recorded over the      area has deteriorated over the
past 12 months, it is no surprise      past 12 months, overwhelmingly
that congestion and the availability   as a result of potholes (cited by 97%
of parking have become more            of respondents). However, roadside
significant concerns.                  litter (25%) and poor grass and/or
                                       foliage maintenance (20%) are also       say the condition of the local roads has deteriorated over the past 12 months
And while there is general

                                                                                61%
                                       named by many as problems.
agreement that the authorities                                                                         think the condition of
are doing their best to minimise       Only 9% of motorists think that                                 motorways and dual

                                                                                                                                                                14%
the delays caused by accidents,        local roads have improved since                                 carriageways has stayed
more could be done to keep             2015 – this represents a very small                             the same since 2015

                                                                                9%
motorists informed about the           drop from last year’s 10% who
                                                                                                       of motorists think
impact of major incidents.             thought the condition of local                                  that local roads have
                                       roads had improved over the                                     actually improved
3.1 Ongoing problems with
                                       previous 12 months. In terms of                                 since 2015

                                                                                97%
local roads
                                       demographics, older drivers and
The condition and maintenance                                                                          of those who said that the
                                       those in rural locations are more
of local roads is the top concern                                                                      condition of local roads is               say the condition and maintenance
                                       likely to think that the condition                              worse, said it’s due to
among the largest percentage
of motorists once again in 2016.
                                       of roads has deteriorated.                                      potholes and poor road surface            of local roads is their top concern
Of those questioned, 14% say this      By way of contrast, a majority
is their number-one concern, up        of motorists (61%) think that the
from 10% last year.                    condition of the motorways and
                                       dual carriageways they use has not
Almost four in 10 drivers (38%) say
                                       changed over the past 12 months
the state of local roads is one of
                                       (up from 58% in 2015). And only 7%
their top four concerns this year:
                                       think they have improved against 9%
this also represents a sharp
                                       who took this view last year, perhaps
increase on last year (30%).
                                       indicating it is still too early for
                                       motorists to see the benefits of the
                                       Road Investment Strategy in terms of
                                       the condition of the existing network.

48                                                                                                                                                                                     49
RAC Report on Motoring 2016                                                             RAC call to action:                                                                                                   3.0 The state of our roads
                                                                                        The state of our roads: see page 90

3.0 The state of our roads                                                                                                    RAC Pothole Index

Of the 28% who think the state                          This follows analysis from the                                        The RAC has used its database of over 2 million breakdowns attended each
of major roads has declined, 83%                        Department for Transport which                                        year to develop the RAC Pothole Index as an ongoing monitor of the state of
cite surface quality, including                         found that there was a backlog of                                     the UK’s roads. The index uses the share of all breakdowns where damage
potholes, as one of the problems                        up to £8.6bn in spending on local                                     from potholes, such as damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension
they face, although litter (28%),                       road maintenance19.                                                   springs and distorted wheels, is likely to have been a major contributor.
lane-marking visibility (24%) and
                                                        However, the latest independent
carriageway lighting (15%) are                                                                                                4.0
                                                        findings from the Asphalt Industry
also issues.
                                                        Alliance (AIA) suggest the true                                       3.5
Concern about the state of local                        picture may be even more gloomy.
roads has grown despite some                            The organisation’s Annual Local                                       3.0

attempt by the Government to                            Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM)                                    2.5
increase expenditure on local                           report published in March 201620 found
road infrastructure. Ministers                          that, despite the commitment to extra                                 2.0
have promised to pump £6bn                              state funding, local authority highways
                                                                                                                              1.5
into local road maintenance                             departments in England claimed that
between 2015 and 202117 while                           funding has dropped by 16% on                                         1.0
in the March 2016 Budget, the                           average since last year. The report also
Government announced the                                said that the amount of investment                                    0.5
creation of a £50m-a-year Pothole                       needed to bring roads in England and
                                                                                                                               0
Action Fund to target the roads in                      Wales up to an acceptable level had
greatest need of repair18.                              remained just below £12 billion.                                            2006   2007   2008   2009   2010    2011   2012    2013    2014   2015    2016

                                                                                                                              The share is averaged over the previous     preventative maintenance. There
                                                                                                                              12 months to remove seasonal effects        have been several extreme weather
                                                                                                                              and a correction is applied to take         events over the last six years and the
                                “The lower support for the Government to
                                                                                                                              account of the overall improvement in       Government has provided additional
                                  prioritise investment in the maintenance of
                                                                                                                              vehicle reliability over time.              funding to address the pothole
                                  motorways and other major roads may simply                                                                                              damage that resulted.
                                  reflect the fact that it’s the condition of local                                           The index uses the share at the start
                                  roads that worries respondents, because they                                                of 2006 as a benchmark and the value        However, the index shows that while
                                  have deteriorated at such a rapid pace.”                                                    of the index is therefore a measure of      this funding has addressed the
                                                                                                                              how likely a motorist’s vehicle is to       immediate effects of the bad weather,
                                 STEVE GOODING                                                                                suffer pothole damage compared to           it has been insufficient to tackle the
                                 Director
                                 RAC Foundation                                                                               the start of 2006. Thus an index of 1.2     underlying deterioration that occurred
                                                                                                                              would mean the likelihood of pothole        prior to 2010. Going forward, the RAC
                                                                                                                              damage had increased by 20%.                will publish the index quarterly.
                                                                                                                              The index shows that there was a            Motorists wanting to report a pothole
                                                                                                                              steady deterioration in the condition       should visit the RAC website or
17.    ww.gov.uk/government/news/6-billion-funding-to-tackle-potholes-and-improve-local-roads
      w                                                                                                                       of roads between 2005 and 2010 as           download the free RAC Report
18.   www.gov.uk/government/news/cash-for-councils-to-fill-almost-1-million-potholes
                                                                                                                              highways authorities’ budgets were          Pothole mobile app for their iPhone
19.    www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443898/Productivity_Plan_web.pdf
20.     www.asphaltindustryalliance.com/images/library/files/ALARM%202016/ALARM_survey_2016_full_report.pdf                  tightened and many cut back on              or Android smartphone.
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