Ice causes chaos on British roads

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Are UK roads being gritted enough to deal with the current wintry road conditions? According to esure car insurance claims data¹ British motorists have experienced 28 times more 'ice' related accidents in the past week compared to the same time in November. In fact, a spike in claims on 2 and 3 December totalled three times the number of ice-induced claims for the whole of November.

Research commissioned by esure car insurance² shows that one in five UK drivers have experienced an accident while driving on a local road in icy weather conditions. 63 per cent of UK motorists polled would like to see smaller roads gritted more frequently and almost half of drivers (40 per cent) claim that their local council is not doing enough to ensure all roads are safe to drive on during icy conditions.

Although The Highways Agency grits all UK motorways and major trunk roads, local councils grit all small roads under their jurisdiction, when they deem it necessary. As a result, 89 per cent of drivers surveyed claim that their local roads are more dangerous to drive on than motorways and over half (54 per cent) of motorists would feel safer undertaking a long distance journey on a main road during adverse weather conditions, than driving a short distance on local roads.

But it's not just the surrounding small roads that are a problem in icy temperatures: 14 per cent of UK motorists admit to colliding with a neighbour's parked car before even leaving their own street. 42 per cent of drivers questioned haven’t even been able to leave their house at least once because their street wasn't cleared of snow or ice, making it unsuitable for motoring.

Indeed, 93 per cent of motorists polled refuse to set out on a journey at all if they judge weather conditions to be too severe, with more than half (58 per cent) braving public transport during icy weather despite this making travel longer and less convenient.

Mike Pickard, Head of Risk and Underwriting at esure, said: "The past week has been particularly treacherous for British motorists as winter weather has well and truly set in. It is of the utmost importance for motorists to adjust their driving style during the winter months and to judge carefully when it is safe to drive and when it’s best to stay at home.

Alarmingly three and a half million motorists admit that they don't alter their driving behaviour during winter at all. This combined with poorly gritted roads goes some way to explaining the spike in ice-induced claims we've seem so far this month."

Top Safety Tips for Winter Motoring on Small Roads:

Always look as far ahead as possible while driving, so you can recognise hazards and have plenty of time to respond
Adjust your driving to the road and weather conditions: slow down and avoid sudden turns of the steering wheel, sudden braking and accelerating which could result in skidding on slippery roads
If you do skid on an icy road, regain control of your vehicle by decelerating: take your foot off the brake, step on the clutch or shift to neutral, then look where you want your vehicle to go and steer in that direction
Be especially careful of shaded areas, roads under bridges etc, as the surface freezes much faster than the rest of road
Make sure you keep plenty of space between your vehicle and the one in front - it is harder to stop suddenly in adverse weather conditions and snow spray from the car in front can limit visibility

Regional differences:

A massive 95 per cent of Scottish motorists claim that they feel more safe driving on motorways than local roads. Local councils in Wales are the most efficient, with 46 per cent of Welsh drivers confident that their council does enough to ensure local roads are safe during adverse winter weather conditions.

Gender Split:

Women are the least intrepid (but perhaps the most safe) when the cold weather hits, with 33 per cent admitting that they would cancel their journey if they thought the weather was too severe, compared to only 21 per cent of men.

Men are the most complacent of the sexes, with 78 per cent of males admitting that they would be unlikely to cancel a journey despite warnings on the television and radio about adverse winter weather conditions. In contrast, a massive 81 per cent of women admit to feeling 'nervous' when driving in extreme weather conditions, compared to just over half of men (51 per cent). 62 per cent of females also admitted to feeling 'fearful' when setting out on the road in winter conditions, compared to only a quarter of men.

-ends-

esure's press contacts:

For further information please contact the esure press office at Mischief PR on 020 7100 9999 or email esure@mischiefpr.com
An ISDN line is available for radio interviews.

Notes to editors:

According to esure claims data 1st November 2008 - 6th December 2008.
esure used the independent online research company MyVoice who surveyed a cross section of a 1,000 of the UK's drivers, from across the country aged 18 and over. Interviews were conducted across the UK via an online questionnaire. Fly Research is an online market research company. Its researchers are members of the MRS and Esomar, and abide by their guidelines. Further information at www.flyresearch.com

About esure:

esure was launched in 2001. The company offers car, home, pet and travel insurance over the internet and by phone. esure also offers car insurance cover through the brands Halifax, Sainsbury's, Sheilas' Wheels and more recently home insurance through the Sheilas' Wheels brand.

Sponsorship:

esure has secured two of the UK's most iconic sponsorships: the ITV National and Channel 4 Weather bulletins.

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