May 18, 2015
Texting and talking on the phone while behind the wheel has been named as Queensland’s most frustrating driving behaviours in the RACQ’s latest “What Drives You Crazy” survey, released today.
The illegal activity topped the list of the most irritating driving habits by other motorists for the first time since the annual survey began.
RACQ’s Lauren Ritchie said more needed to be done to deter motorists from using hand-held mobile phones.
“Mobile phone use while driving is a hard rule for police to monitor and enforce and it may be the reason for this growing problem,” Ms Ritchie said.
“For a law to be effective there has to be enough of a deterrent. Do people think they’re going to be caught and are the risks of a fine and three demerit points enough to stop them?”
Ms Ritchie said the survey also found tailgating and speeding up when overtaking were among the top pet peeves.
“Drivers who follow cars too closely are putting themselves and others in danger, as they increase the likelihood of a crash if they need to stop suddenly,” she said.
“As motorists, we need to remember we’re all sharing the road. Courtesy plays a big part in keeping our roads safe.”
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Top 10 Frustrating Behaviours For 2015:
1. Motorists talking/sending SMS on hand-held mobiles (3rd in 2014)
2. Drivers who follow too closely/tailgate (1st in 2014)
3. Motorists who increase their speed when you try to overtake them (4th in 2014)
4. Motorists who throw litter out of their vehicles (2nd in 2014)
5. Motorists who incorrectly use indicators eg. indicate too late or fail to indicate at all (6th in 2014)
6. Motorists who aren’t courteous eg. allowing room to merge/change lanes (5th in 2014)
7. Motorists parking incorrectly eg. Double-parking or using disability car parks (10th in 2014)
8. Motorists turning from the wrong lane .g. At multi-lane roundabouts (8th in 2014)
9. Motorists who do not move over to allow others to overtake (13th in 2014)
10. Motorists ignoring restricted speed limits eg. At school zones or road works (9th in 2014)
