New research from Dick Lovett reveals nearly half (45%) of British drivers say they’ve experienced another road user deliberately speeding up when they try to overtake them. However, another 1 in 9 (11%) drivers admit to being the ones doing this.
To understand the reasons why, Dick Lovett have teamed up with professional psychologists to explain. The research also reveals how many drivers are guilty of other bad driving behaviours, including brake checking, undertaking, racing other drivers and fast-lane hogging.
If there’s one thing that unites all drivers, regardless of skill or how much they use their car, it’s the passing of judgement on how other drivers are using the road.
However, new research from Dick Lovett into Britain’s bad driving habits reveals that some drivers will even go as far as trying to control the actions other road users take if they don’t agree with them. The research found that nearly half (45%) of British drivers have experienced another road user deliberately speeding up when they try to overtake them. And another 1 in 9 (11%) drivers admit to being the ones doing this.
To get to the bottom of this overtaking behaviour, Dick Lovett teamed up with two expert psychologists, Mark Vahrmeyer, a UKCP psychotherapist and co-founder of Brighton and Hove Psychotherapy, and Dr Rebekah Wanic, a psychologist and self-optimisation coach at Vent to Reinvent to explain just why drivers do this.
Rebekah explains that other drivers will participate in stopping other drivers overtaking them as a form of punishment: “Some drivers prevent passing because they are bothered by the speed of another driver and may feel that they are behaving in an aggressive or unsafe way, so the prevention is a form of punishment.”
Rebekah continues: “Punishing others is very psychologically rewarding. There may also be an element of competition for some who don’t like to lose, and feel that getting passed is a sign that they are not winning the race. This mindset is generally not conducive to safe or respectful driving, and when one notices such impulses, it is best to try to reign them in.”
Similarly, Mark explains that for many drivers, “Sharing the road with others is a collaborative, albeit, defensive experience.” When it comes to overtaking, Mark explains that it is “probably the most contentious manoeuvre we can make in terms of how the driver in front or behind may react.”
Mark also explains why some drivers may feel the need to stop other drivers overtaking them on the road: “Being overtaken is very different to ‘letting another pass. The former is done to us and the latter done by us. And therein lies the rub – many drivers experience being overtaken as a win-lose proposition, with the person being overtaken as the loser. For some, overtaking is simply personal and a criticism of their driving.”
The research also revealed the truth behind the number of people behind 4 other common ‘bad’ driving behaviours:
1. Fast-lane hogging
Dick Lovett’s research found that 1 in 7 (13%) drivers say they prefer to drive in the right hand lane on the motorway or bypass, even when they’re not overtaking another driver. We also found that men are guiltier of this than women (15% vs 10%), and younger drivers aged 18-24 even more so, with more than a third (36%) saying they do this.
Fast-lane hogging may seem more convenient than weaving in and out of the left hand lane, but the fast-lane should only be used by drivers who are overtaking traffic. Once the manoeuvre is complete, the overtaking driver must move back into the slow or middle lane where there is one.
Delaying moving back in after overtaking and ‘hogging’ the fast lane can land drivers with points on their licence and a fine if the police deem it as careless driving under driving laws.
In fact, according to rule 264 of the Highway Code, you should: Keep in the left lane unless overtaking. If you are overtaking, you should return to the left lane when it is safe to do so.
2. Undertaking
Undertaking is when a driver passes another vehicle on the left of a bypass or motorway, and Dick Lovett’s research found that more than a quarter (27%) of drivers say they’d undertake another driver if they felt they were going too slow, with men 10% more likely to do this than women (31% vs 21%).
In the Highway Code, it is referred to as ‘overtaking on the left’, and while it is not technically illegal, the code does not recommend it. The only exceptions to the rule are when drivers are in slow-moving traffic, if the lane is moving faster than a lane on the right.
However, it is not deemed an acceptable reason when one driver thinks another is driving too slow.
3. Brake checking
Dick Lovett’s research found that roughly 1 in 6 (17%) drivers told us they ‘brake check’ other drivers if they’re driving too close behind them. Again, young drivers (18-24) are the worst for this, where more than double the amount (36%) say they brake check.
Brake checking is a bad driving habit that involves sharply hitting your brakes with another vehicle behind you for no other reason than warning the driver behind you that you think they’re too close. The intention is to make the unsuspecting driver slam on their brakes or swerve to avoid rear-ending your vehicle.
Many people do this from the belief that insurance companies would find the victim of the brake check at fault for not leaving enough space, but brake checking is illegal, and you can be charged with dangerous driving if you’re caught. Dangerous driving in the UK can carry an unlimited fine and a two-year prison sentence.
4. Racing other drivers
Street racing and car meets are a consistent problem for traffic police in the UK, and Dick Lovett’s research found that over 1 in 6 (16%) drivers say they’ve raced another driver before. This figure rises to 1 in 5 (19%) when looking just at male drivers (vs 12% for women).
However, the most concerning results were amongst young drivers, where these figures almost tripled. Our survey found that almost half (45%) of drivers aged 18-24 say they’ve raced another driver before.
UK law considers street racing as dangerous driving under the Road Traffic Act 1998, section 2, and it is subject to severe penalties.
What about not using Indicators
Re. no. 1, I call those drivers ‘scaletrix drivers’ cos once they get onto the dual carriageway they move onto the offside lane and stick to it resolutely, like a Scaletrix car. I think it’s cos they’re too lazy to go to ‘all the bother’ of changing lanes repeatedly; they’d rather have a snooze or get back to important things like finishing their texts.
There’s no such thing as a “Fast Lane” only overtaking lanes and driving lanes. Really poor terminology in this article. A survey on the use of indicators would also be interesting as they seem almost redundant these days.
Interesting article. One type of driver they didn’t cover is he or she speeding up to overtake you and then slowing down below your speed. This proved by frequent occurrences on the A30 dual carriageway (Devon & Cornwall) when I’m travelling at 65 mph on cruise control.