Spaghetti Junction 'scares' drivers

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A poll of drivers has revealed that Birmingham's Spaghetti Junction is the most intimidating to road users, with 8 per cent admitting they avoid "scary" junctions like it altogether.

Navigating around these tricky junctions is adding an average of 238 miles each year onto the journeys of drivers, according to a survey by breakdown company Britannia Rescue.

The poll also found that 2 per cent of motorists avoid making right turns at junctions where at all possible, while 14 per cent try not to drive through urban areas.

Also featuring in the poll of junctions people would rather avoid are the M8's junctions through central Glasgow, which came in second and Marble Arch in central London, which came in third.

The cities which were described as the hardest to navigate were London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Leeds. Road users also complained that large roundabouts were the most confusing obstacle while driving in urban areas, followed by one-way systems, speed humps, cameras and box junctions.

Intersections provide the most breakdown worries for drivers, with 21 per cent saying they were worried about something happening there than anywhere else.

Britannia Rescue general manager Simon Stevens said: "Some will even drive hundreds of miles out of their way every year to avoid difficult junctions. We urge motorists to familiarise themselves with tricky road junctions so that they are better prepared when they have to use one."

Copyright © Press Association 2009

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