Irish motorists reveal the biggest things that annoy them about other drivers on the road

Do all of these driving habits grind your gears?

More than seven out of 10 Irish motorists say that they encounter other motorists driving over the speed limit or at a speed unsuitable or the road/weather conditions on a daily basis, according to a new survey from AA Car Insurance. In an effort to discover the things that annoy Irish motorists when they’re behind the wheel, the survey asked over 3,000 respondents how often they encountered some of the most common complaints. Just over one in five motorists, for example, said that they encountered drivers cruising in the outside lane of a motorway on a daily basis, with a similar number coming across fellow motorists driving too slowly or showing rudeness behind the wheel. Inconsiderate driving, careless overtaking and incorrect fog light use are amongst the other habits that get on the nerves of Irish motorists, although, thankfully, less than 1% of those surveyed said that they encountered physical abuse (perhaps as a method of settling disputes) on a daily or a regular basis. Less than 10% of respondents admitted to seeing drunk driving daily, on a regular basis or somewhat regularly, with more than one in two saying that they had either never encountered drink driving or that they had done so very rarely. Commenting on the results of the survey, Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs, said: “Despite a setback last year in terms of road fatalities, we have come a long way when it comes to road safety in Ireland in recent years. However, speeding or failing to match your speed with the conditions significantly increases your risk of being involved in some kind of an incident, putting yourself and other road users in unnecessary danger. “While speeding may not be the only problem we have on our roads, when it comes to improving road safety one of the most vital factors in reducing collisions and fatalities is the driver’s right foot.” “Because of the frequency with which we do it, many of us are guilty of underappreciating just how dangerous driving really is. While it may appear trivial, rude or inconsiderate behaviour certainly plays a role in many of the incidents we see on Irish roads,” Faughnan added. “Unexpectedly changing lanes or even inconsiderate behaviours such as failing to indicate reduce the time other road users have to react to your actions increasing the risk of some kind of collision.”