You probably won’t be surprised at what Queensland motorists have rated as the worst driver behaviour on our roads.
The RACQ’s 2022 Annual Road Safety Survey showed that 95.3 per cent of drivers that were surveyed ranked tailgating as the most frustrating habit.
RACQ Spokesperson Tristan Vorias said not leaving enough space between you and the car in front was annoying for others and extremely unsafe.
“Nearly every driver surveyed listed tailgating as a pet peeve and for good reason,” he said.
“It’s unnecessary, inconsiderate and significantly increases your chance of having a crash.”
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The Department of Transport and Main Roads agreed it’s a practice that has potential for disaster, and potentially costly.
“Motorists who tailgate may not be able to safely stop in time to avoid a collision,” TMR said.
If you follow another vehicle too closely you may be issued with a traffic infringement notice costing $321.
Throwing litter out of vehicles was the second biggest pet peeve nominated (94.4 per cent), followed by drivers increasing their speed as others try to overtake (94 per cent), not being courteous (93.8%) and using their hand-held mobile phones (93 per cent) behind the wheel.
“Drivers who throw litter out of their car, speed up when others are trying to overtake or cut off other motorists, are not only disrespectful, but also dangerous,” Mr Vorias said.
“When it comes to mobile phone use, if you’re looking at a screen, you’re not looking at the road and we know distraction is one of the Fatal Five driving behaviours that contribute to our terrible road toll.
“Already this year, more than 230 people have died on Queensland roads and we need to be looking out for each other to ensure everyone gets to their destination safely.
“Many of these bad driving behaviours also attract significant penalties and with cost-of-living pressures front of mind for so many Queenslanders, a fine is a complete waste of cash.
“Make sure you’re driving with all road users in mind so that you can save money and save lives.”
Most frustrating driving behaviours
- Motorists who follow too closely/tailgate behind my vehicle 95.3 per cent.
- Motorists who throw litter out of vehicles 94.4 per cent.
- Motorists who increase their speed when you try to overtake them 94 per cent.
- Motorists who are not courteous e.g., allowing room to merge/change lanes 93.8 per cent.
- Motorists talking/sending text messages on hand-held mobile phones 93 per cent.
- Motorists who incorrectly use indicators e.g., indicate too late or fail to indicate at all 92.8 per cent.
- Motorists who turn from the wrong lane e.g., at multi-lane roundabouts 92.8 per cent.
- Motorists who block intersections 92.7 per cent.
- Motorists who park incorrectly e.g., double parking or using disability parking spaces 92.6 per cent.
- Motorists displaying aggressive behaviour e.g., blowing horn, verbal abuse, or hand signals 91.5 per cent.
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