Newslink April marketing special

News
Learner harrassment getting worse - and
now P-plates are in the firing line, too
New research by Marmalade Insurance has
revealed that hassling and intimidating
learner drivers and new drivers displaying
P-plates is becoming worse.
Indeed, according to 59% of driving
instructors, the problem has worsened since
the pandemic.
Marmalade found that 81% of learner
drivers have been on the receiving end of
abuse or intimidation. 44% said the worst
place for this was at roundabouts, with 29%
saying it occured at traffic lights.
In total, 99% of instructors said they had
witnessed other drivers being abusive or
intimidating towards learners during lessons.
As one ADI put it, “I was a driving instructor
for several years and encountered this
[intimidation] daily. I also got verbal abuse
and rude hand gestures when my pupils
stalled the car, especially at a roundabout or
traffic lights.”
The impact of on-road intimidation
and abuse
Unsurprisingly, learners said this all made
them feel more anxious when driving, with
9% taking a break from driving as a result.
91% of instructors say behaviour from other
drivers has impacted learners negatively. 72%
of learners made more mistakes as a direct
result of the aggressive driving of others.
Incidents usually involved shouting,
gesticulating and driving too close, as well as
aggressive overtaking, but some young
drivers reported having their car purposely
bumped.
As one of the learners pointed out,
however: “Beeping at me isn’t going to make
me recover from stalling any quicker!”.
Tackling the problem
The majority of learners and instructors
surveyed suggested that they would support
on-the-spot fines for aggressive drivingt
towards ADIs and learners, 54% and 67%
respectively, with 72% of instructors calling
for three penalty points on culprit’s licences.
Perhaps more fittingly for society,
however, 46% of learners and 69% of
instructors felt anger management courses
for offenders would be beneficial.
At the very least, both parties called for
greater public awareness of the problem,
with a publicity campaign ran by the DVSA
informing the rest of the motoring public that
such behaviour just wasn’t fair, wasn’t
helping and needed to stop.
72% of instructors supported learners
having their own category or special mention
in the Highway Code hierarchy of road users.
Worst offenders
Results suggest that males aged 30-39
rank as the biggest culprits for bullying
behaviour, with 64% of learners identifying
this age group, while 70% said men in general
were most abusive. In terms of vehicles,
behind cars, 57% said abuse came from those
Get out of our boot!
ADIs may recall that Marmalade ran a
petition in 2022, asking for the
Government to make harrassing learners a
specific offence. The petition called on the
Government to make disregard for the
safety of drivers displaying an L-plate an
aggravating factor in dangerous driving and
careless driving offences. This would allow
courts to impose stronger sentences on
drivers who do not take sufficient
precautions when driving near learners.
It gained 10,705 signatures, which
merited a Government response. It read:
“The Government is committed to road
safety, by identifying and prosecuting the
few who make our roads less safe.
Aggravating factors are set out in the
in vans, while 18% said taxis.
What about P plates?
Only 30% of newly qualified drivers said
that they used P plates when they first
passed. Nearly half (47%) said one of the
main reasons for not using them was so as
not to be victimised by other drivers. In fact,
nearly half of instructors (46%) advise their
students NOT to use P-plates! Of those new
drivers that used P plates, 50% said they did
receive abuse on the roads.
One parent said: “The worst tailgating my
daughter experienced was after she passed
her test and used P plates. It was so bad that I
told her to remove them, as it was almost like
a challenge for other drivers to harass.”
P-plate wearers in London suffer the most
frequent abuse. Indeed, London was the
most hostile place in Britain to learn how to
drive, with almost one in 10 (9%)
experiencing abuse every time they drive.
Learning to drive in Northern Ireland is a far
more pleasant experience with almost a third
(28%) of learners never experiencing abuse.
In Great Britain, the North of England was
also found to be a more welcoming place.
When it comers to makes of cars, you’ll
never guess which brand of car was
mentioned more often than others, without
prompting: BMW.
What a surprise!
sentencing guidelines.”
It added: “The law is clear in the Road
Traffic Act 1988 and set out in the Highway
Code that drivers must not drive
dangerously, without due care and
attention or without reasonable
consideration for other road users.
“The Government keeps the road traffic
offences under review, and the DfT plans to
publish a call for evidence on motoring
offences. Its scope and timings are still
being worked on, but it is expected to
include aspects of drink and drug driving
and failure to stop and report. There will be
an opportunity to raise other matters.”
MSA GB notes that this has not
happened.
16 NEWSLINK n APRIL 2024