Thousands of miles driven on the wrong side of the road
Monday, 22 August 2011
• More than 108,000 accidents abroad due to collisions with oncoming vehicles, according to swiftcover.com data
• One in three UK motorists drive on the wrong side of the road at least once while abroad
At least 44,000 miles will be driven on the wrong side of the road by Brits abroad this year alone, potentially causing more than 108,000 accidents with oncoming vehicles – according to a study by car insurance provider swiftcover.com.
With more than 4.4 million UK motorists set to hit foreign roads this summer, the study revealed that more than one in three (39 per cent) – equating to 1.7 million UK drivers will drive on the wrong side of the road at some point on their holiday. On previous holidays, almost 50,000 UK drivers admitted to driving at least one mile on the wrong side of the road during a trip abroad.
The worrying findings were further compounded as swiftcover.com policyholder data revealed that British drivers are twice as likely to collide with an oncoming vehicle whilst abroad, and that these kind of accidents account for 17 per cent of the 1.8 million accidents involving UK motorists reported abroad each year.
Robin Reames, chief claims officer at swiftcover.com said: “Lives are on the line because so many Brits are driving on the wrong side of the road whilst abroad. It’s such a fundamental element of driving on foreign roads but it only takes a split second to lose concentration before you find yourself head on with another vehicle.
“We see a huge uplift in oncoming vehicle accidents when Brits drive off overseas, but there are a few simple tricks to help avoid this happening. A simple sticker on your steering wheel, for example, can jog your memory when you get into your car, reminding you that you need to drive on the right hand side of the road when you set off”.
The swiftcover.com study also asked UK drivers which countries were perceived as being the most difficult to drive in. One in ten (9 per cent) cited Italy while second most difficult is France, followed by Germany. Bad driving by local citizens (71 per cent), poor state of foreign roads (24 per cent) and driving on the right hand side of the road (22 per cent) were all cited as making driving abroad particularly difficult.
Mr Gérard Acourt, president of the ECF, France’s national road safety agency, commented: “Given the significant number of motorists who drive across international borders, particularly between England and France, it’s important to consider how well drivers understand the road laws of their destination country.
“The results of swiftcover.com’s research don’t surprise me. Even though European roads tend to be fairly similar to each other, there are still many differences, and ignoring these can result in serious consequences on B-roads and motorways alike.”
Of those who plan to drive abroad this summer, 25 per cent were unsure as to whether their insurance would fully cover them while abroad.
swiftcover.com’s mini-guide for driving in France and the EU:
• The speed limit in France is 130kph on motorways. This is reduced to 110kph in wet weather, which is legally enforceable
• In France and most of the EU, the maximum permitted level of alcohol is 0.5 mg/ml. This is substantially lower than the UK (0.8 mg/ml), so swiftcover.com recommends that motorists do not drink if they plan on driving. On the plus side, a taxi journey in France will cost you a lot less than a ride in London
• In the EU, traffic already on the roundabout has priority, unless signposts indicate otherwise. In this case, traffic approaching the roundabout has priority.
• While driving in France, you are legally required to carry a high visibility jacket and a warning triangle, and it is recommended that you carry a first aid kit.
• Some key French road signs, translated:
o Cédez le passage - give way
o Arrêt – stop
o Interdit à tout vehicule – no entry to any vehicle
Notes to Editors
*Research carried out among a nationally representative sample of 2,030 UK adults by Opinium from 25-27 May 2011
**swiftcover.com policyholder accidents abroad data from summer 2010 (Opinium research revealed 1.8m accidents abroad therefore 6 per cent – highlighted by swiftcover.com data – equates to 108,000)
Note: swiftcover.com covers insured drivers anywhere in the EU for up to three days at no extra cost. Policy holders travelling in the EU have the same level of insurance as they do in the UK. For trips longer than three days, Foreign Use Extension cover is necessary. This is available from www.swiftcover.com/carinsurance.
Ends
Notes to Editors
For press enquiries please contact:
Luke O’Mahony or Charlotte Sluter
Brazil (PR agency for swiftcover.com)
020 7785 7383
swiftcover@agencybrazil.com
About swiftcover.com
Based in Cobham, Surrey and employing more than 1,000 people, swiftcover.com started trading in June 2005 and was born out of a desire to revolutionise the general insurance market by making insurance quick and easy to use.
swiftcover.com offers car, home, travel and pet insurance online, and is the only insurance provider in Britain not to use call centres, which provides cost savings that can be passed directly onto the customer, keeping premiums low. swiftcover.com was named Best Value for Money Car Insurance in the UK in the 2010 Lovemoney.com awards.
This powerful operating model combined with successful marketing and competitive pricing has proven to be a tremendous success. In 2008 swiftcover.com achieved over half a million live policies and in May 2009 sold its millionth policy. swiftcover.com is considered to be one of the fastest-growing online insurance providers in the UK and, as of February 2011, has more than 800,000 policy holders.
In 2007, AXA UK acquired swiftcover.com. It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of AXA Insurance UK plc which forms part of AXA Group.
About AXA:
AXA Group is a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with 216,000 employees serving 93 million clients. In 2010, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 91 billion and IFRS underlying earnings to Euro 3.9 billion. AXA had Euro 1,104 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2010.
The AXA ordinary share is listed on compartment A of Euronext Paris under the ticker symbol CS (ISNFR 0000120628 – Bloomberg: CS FP – Reuters: AXAF.PA). AXA’s American Depository Shares are also quoted on the OTC QX platform under the ticker symbol AXAHY.
The Group is included in the main international SRI indexes, such as Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and FTSE4GOOD.
Our previous company performance is not a guide to how we may perform in the future.
Any opinions expressed in this media communication are made as at the date of this publication but are subject to change without notice.
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