As many as one in six British motorists admit they are terrible drivers, according to a new study

Researchers from Isuzu UK polled the nation’s motorists and discovered that almost one in six (15%) admit they are a terrible driver, while a shocking 4% admit they are actually a danger on the roads.

But the worst drivers by car are from Cardiff (35%), London (33%) and Liverpool (31%) – with the highest number admitting they are bad behind the wheel.

In contrast, drivers in Stoke-on-Trent consider themselves to be the safest, as no-one there thinks they are a bad driver. Residents in Nottingham (2%), Cambridge (3%) and Edinburgh (4%) also believe they are among the nation’s safest drivers.

Too many cars on the road (36%), too small parking spaces (24%), being easily distracted (20%) and small roads (17%) are the main reasons for poor driving, along with getting bored behind the wheel (14%), cars not having blind spot detection (13%) and attention monitoring sensors (12%).

One in ten (12%) just blame their car for their bad driving, while 11% say not having forward collision warning technology is an issue. 6% simply hate their vehicle and say that their reversing cameras aren’t very good (3%).

A third (32%) go a step further and wish their car had all the mod-cons to help with their driving, while 36% say that a larger car would make them feel safer when they are behind the wheel.

According to the survey, commissioned by Isuzu’s 5-star Euro NCAP rated D-Max range which has multiple safety systems available across the range as standard, over half (54%) say they have had an accident because they weren’t concentrating. Men admit they are more likely (61%) to have a prang while they aren’t paying attention, compared to women (47%).

20% say they feel nervous when there are passengers in their car, so much so that one in five (19%) have friends and family who actually refuse to get in a vehicle with them as a result of their questionable driving skills.

In fact, over half (59%) say they have been shouted at or received a rude gesture from another motorist or pedestrian because of a dangerous manoeuvre, with Gen-Z (67%) and Millennials (67%) most likely to be on the receiving end of another driver’s anger.

When it comes to the skills they are lacking, four in ten (38%) admit they struggle with parallel parking, while a third (32%) have no idea how to check things like tyre pressure and coolant level.

Parking in a bay (19%), driving within the speed limit (19%), reversing around the corner (17%), remembering to turn the lights in the dark (15%) and checking the mirrors before setting off (11%) are also areas that UK drivers struggle with.

One in ten (11%) say they have no idea how to drive a manual car, with a further tenth (10%) always forgetting to look out for cyclists and motorcyclists.

Worryingly, 7% confess they even forget to look out for pedestrians when on the roads.

George Wallis, Head of Marketing at Isuzu UK, said: “With over 50 million drivers in Great Britain, it is worrying to think that as many as 7.5 million consider themselves bad drivers. It’s clear from the research that UK motorists face many challenges on all journeys, from smaller roads, tight parking bays and even their own vehicle.

With one in three saying that having a vehicle with all the mod cons like blind spot detection and attention monitoring sensors would help them to be a better driver. Isuzu D-Max’s Advanced Driver Assist System takes pick-up truck safety to a whole new level thanks to rear cross traffic alert, lane departure prevention system and autonomous emergency braking so you’ll never have to worry behind the wheel again. This fantastic safety doesn’t happen by accident.”

Two thirds (62%) simply wish they were a better driver.

It’s no surprise that 61% don’t think they would pass their driving test again, with over 60s the least confident (63%) about achieving a pass.

CITIES WITH THE WORST DRIVERS, ACCORDING TO BRITISH DRIVERS:

1.      Cardiff – 35%,
2.      London – 33%,
3.      Liverpool – 31%,
4.      Plymouth – 15%,
5.      Leeds – 12%,
6.      Birmingham – 9%,
7.      Leicester – 9%,
8.      Oxford – 9%,
9.      Sheffield – 8%,
10.     Brighton – 7%.

This research of 2,000 Britons was commissioned by Isuzu and conducted by Perspectus Global during March 2024.