MOTORING MISHAPS: HOW MANY HAVE YOU COMMITED?

MOTORING MISHAPS: HOW MANY HAVE YOU COMMITED?

We can all be quick to judge people by the cars they drive, trying to draw links between their vehicles and their driving skills (or lack of). But are the stereotypes accurate? At Van Monster we asked 2,000 people, driving the UK’s top 20 cars of 2018 to anonymously confess their driving sins, revealing who is really causing havoc on the roads of the UK. Their answers expose the seemingly worst culprits for all the driving habits we as a nation loathe, from leaving dents in a parked car, parking on the double yellows in front of school gates, to road rage you want to avoid feeling the wrath of.

We can all be quick to judge people by the cars they drive, trying to draw links between their vehicles and their driving skills (or lack of). But are the stereotypes accurate? At Van Monster we asked 2,000 people, driving the UK’s top 20 cars of 2018 to anonymously confess their driving sins, revealing who is really causing havoc on the roads of the UK.

Their answers expose the seemingly worst culprits for all the driving habits we as a nation loathe, from leaving dents in a parked car, parking on the double yellows in front of school gates, to road rage you want to avoid feeling the wrath of.

Drivers Most Likely To…

Drivers Most Likely to…

Drivers Most Likely To…
Top Culprit %
2nd place %
3rd place %
Open their car door into someone else's
28.5%
Range Rover Drivers
27.6%
Audi Drivers
25.8%
Volkswagen Drivers
Knock or break a wing mirror on another car
20%
Range Rover Drivers
18.1%
Toyota Drivers
17.7%
BMW Drivers
Scratch someone else's car
22.9%
Toyota Drivers
19.2%
Hyundai Drivers
16.9%
BMW Drivers
Reverse into a car in the car park
18.6%
Audi Drivers
18.1%
Toyota Drivers
18%
Range Rover Drivers
Damage their partner, family member or friend's car whilst driving it
18%
Range Rover Drivers
16.2%
BMW Drivers
14.7%
Mercedes-Benz Drivers

The Motoring Angels

64.6%

Volvo Drivers

67.3%

Hyundai Drivers

64.6%

Honda Drivers

Range Rover drivers in our survey ranked top for knocking or breaking the wing mirror of other cars, and for opening their car doors straight into someone else’s. Those drivers also came in at a very close third place for the drivers most likely to reverse their car into someone else’s whilst parking, just behind the Audi and Toyota drivers surveyed.

In our survey, Range Rover drivers also admitted to damaging the cars around them, with just under 1 in 5 (18%) admitting to damaging a partner, family member or friend’s car whilst driving it. According to our results Honda drivers are the safest hands to leave your car in, with just 4.2% admitting to damaging a borrowed car.

Ever returned to your car and discovered an ugly scratch has suddenly appeared down its side? If our survey results are anything to go by, it may have been a Toyota driver with 22.9% of Toyota drivers in our survey admitting to leaving a scratch on another’s car. At the other end of the table, only 4% of Citroen drivers in our study admitted to committing this sin.

Most Honest and Dishonest Drivers

Admitted fault to the other party involved

42.5%

Volvo Drivers

41.2%

Hyundai Drivers

38.8%

Mercedes-Benz Drivers

Didn't admit it to the other party involved

40%

Audi Drivers

40%

SEAT Drivers

38.6%

BMW Drivers

If you accidently damage another driver’s car, do you confess, or panic and run? 40% of both the Audi and SEAT drivers we surveyed admitted the latter. In comparison 42.5% of Volvo drivers and 41.18% of Hyundai drivers revealed they’re more likely to own up and inform the other driver of the damage.

Of the 2,000 participants surveyed the top two reasons UK drivers don’t confess to the damage were panic and to avoid confrontation, but 20% admitted they fled because they didn’t want to have to cough up the cash for repairs. 1 in 10 didn’t want their partners to find out, whilst 9.9% just didn’t care enough to own up.

Motorists Causing Mayhem

Motorists Causing Mayhem

Drivers Most Likely To…
Top Culprit %
2nd place %
3rd place %
Highest % Which Have Never Done This
Park across two public car park spaces
32.4%
Audi Driver
25.7%
Mercedes-Benz Drivers
20%
BMW Drivers
87.1%
SEAT Drivers
Leave a passive aggressive note on someones window screen
14.9%
Nissan Drivers
14.5%
Audi Drivers
14%
Range Rover Drivers
90.4%
Hyundai Drivers
Ignore directional arrows in a car park
46.4%
Mazda Drivers
44.4%
MINI Drivers
43.4%
Toyota Drivers
62.1%
Volvo Drivers
Park on the double yellow lines outside a school
15.9%
Audi Drivers
12.8%
Mercedes-Benz Drivers
12.1%
Volkswagen Drivers
94.5%
Fiat Drivers
Park in a parent and child space, without a child
20%
Audi Drivers
17.9%
Mazda Drivers
16.1%
SEAT Drivers
89.8%
Kia Drivers
Cut someone up when changing lanes
32.1%
Mazda Drivers
24.8%
Mercedes-Benz Drivers
24.1%
Audi Drivers
74.6%
Kia Drivers
Suffer from road rage whilst driving
45.2%
SEAT Drivers
40%
Audi Drivers
38.9%
MINI Drivers
65.5%
Volvo Drivers

By parking across two spaces in a full car park, you’re bound to make a few enemies and almost a third (32.4%) of the Audi drivers surveyed admitted to doing this more than once. They also ranked top as most likely to repeatedly park on double yellow lines outside of schools and park in parent and child spaces, without a child.

Mazda drivers also owned up to some dodgy driving habits, with the highest % of drivers surveyed admitting to cutting others up when changing lanes and ignoring directional arrows in a car park. Nissan drivers are seemingly keen users of a passive aggressive note placed on another driver’s window screen, with 1 in 8 (14.9%) admitting to venting their annoyance more than once through this method.

Of the 2,000 drivers surveyed SEAT owners admit to being the hot heads, with the highest number of self-confessed road ragers - 42.5% admitted to losing their cool repeatedly. Compare that to the 65.5% of Volvo drivers surveyed who said they have never experienced road rage.

Road Ragers

Road Ragers

Drivers Most Likely To…
Top Culprit %
2nd place %
3rd place %
Highest % Which Have Never Done This
Shout
58.1%
SEAT Drivers
56.6%
Audi Drivers
55.3%
Renault Drivers
55.2%
Volvo Drivers
Shout at other drivers
52.4%
Audi Drivers
50.6%
Nissan Drivers
45.2%
SEAT Drivers
56.7%
Vauxhall Drivers
Swear
67%
Mazda Drivers
58.5%
Renault Drivers
58.3%
MINI Drivers
55.2%
Volvo Drivers
Make hand gestures
50%
Skoda Drivers
50%
Mazda Drivers
46.2%
Fiat Drivers
55.2%
Volvo Drivers
Beep Horn
56.9%
Renault Drivers
54.2%
MINI Drivers
54%
Range Rover Drivers
44.8%
Volvo Drivers
Get out of the car to talk to other motorists
15.2%
Audi Drivers
12%
Toyota Drivers
11.5%
Nissan Drivers
44.8%
Volvo Driver
Throw an object out of window
11.5%
Nissan Drivers
11%
Audi Drivers
10%
Range Rover Drivers
97.4%
Skoda Drivers

Talking of road rage, SEAT drivers seemingly suffer with road rage the most, as out of all the drivers surveyed they also ranked top for shouting. Over half (52.4%) of the Audi drivers in our study admitted to repeatedly shouting at other drivers, whilst 15.2% have also gotten out of their car to confront other drivers on more than one occasion.

67% of the Mazda drivers surveyed admitted to swearing as a way to vent their rage on more than one occasion, whilst half of all Skoda drivers in our study said they have used hand gestures to let other drivers know they aren’t happy.

56.9% of Renault drivers admit to beeping their horn during road rage and 1 in 10 (11.5%) of the Nissan owners surveyed admitted to throwing something out of their car window during the heat of the moment. In comparison Volvo owners came out as the lowest % of drivers for shouting, swearing, hand gestures, horn beeping and getting out of their car.

Knocking or breaking a wing mirror on another car

Top culprit
Range Rover Drivers20%

Opening your car door into someone else's

Top culprit
Range Rover Drivers28.5%

Suffered from road rage whilst driving

Top culprit
SEAT Drivers45.2%

Left a passive aggressive note on someones window screen

Top culprit
Nissan Drivers14.9%

Parked across two public car park spaces

Top culprit
Audi Drivers32.4%

Ignored directional arrows in a car park

Top culprit
Mazda Drivers46.4%

Parked in a parent and child space, without a child

Top culprit
Audi Drivers20%

Reversing into a car in the car park

Top culprit
Audi Drivers18.6%

Whether you drive a Ford van, Citroen Berlingo van, Mercedes van or something else, stay safe on the roads by following the highway code and keeping an eye out for those dodgy drivers. If you’re looking to buy a van near you, visit the Van Monster catalogue of used vans for sale and view our wide range of immaculate second hand vans all over the UK and Ireland.