Driver courtesy drops in BC
Drivers in British Columbia are getting less courteous – or so other drivers believe.
A new Ipsos Reid poll conducted in BC on behalf of ICBC, the province’s auto insurer, found that half (49 percent) of people surveyed say drivers in their community are less courteous than they were five years ago, but most (82 percent) think they’re the exception to the rule.
Driver courtesy report card finds B.C. drivers rate themselves as being more courteous than other drivers. (Click to enlarge)
B.C. drivers give other drivers an average letter grade of C+ for being courteous on the road while they rate themselves an average of B+.
The perception that driver courtesy has worsened is more prevalent among Lower Mainland drivers (55% say less courteous) than among Interior/North drivers (43% say less courteous) and Vancouver Island drivers (39% say less courteous), said Ipsos Reid.
The vast majority of drivers (94%) report experiencing at least some type of discourteous behaviour from other drivers in the past three months. The most common behaviours experienced from other drivers include signaling late or not at all (82%), tailgating (73%), not being allowed to merge (63%) and being cut off (48%).
ICBC urges drivers to be more courteous.
“There’s a clear disconnect between how drivers perceive their own driving behaviours and the reality of their driving,” said John Vavrik, a psychologist at ICBC, in a statement.
According to Vavrik, numerous studies have shown that driver discourtesy can be one of the major causes of road rage, and because discourtesy can trigger some very heated emotions, it can impair a driver’s ability to concentrate, react and make smart driving decisions putting them at increased risk of crashing.
Are B.C. drivers really innocent, or do they just respond that way? (Click to enlarge)
“Aggressive or careless driving such as cutting off other drivers, speeding, tailgating, talking on cell phones and not using proper signals is almost always what incites road rage” said Vavrik. “While road delays play a part in adding to driving stress, it’s the behaviour of other drivers that leads to the greatest frustration.”
“Driving smart is about making smart decisions and shifting our attitudes toward driving. Our own driving behaviour plays a part in the safety of our roads for everyone,” said Fiona Temple, ICBC’s director of road safety. “The majority of survey respondents believe that courtesy is contagious, so the next time a driver lets you merge in front of them, give them a wave – they may just pay it forward to another driver later down the road.”
For those that say people don’t allow them to merge, they are on the most part the aggressive drivers who are trying to cut in between 2 vehicles when there is no space which causes drivers to slam their on brakes in their attempt to avoid an accident. That is a daily thing on the #1. People don’t shoulder check and just merge and that is wrong. You cannot take for granted people will let you in and you need to prepare for that. People are driving way too fast, in and out of traffic, passing on the shoulders and the worst drivers at this time of year are the motorcyclists. They drive between vehicles, drive along the shoulders and tailgate while driving at a incredible amount of speed. It doesn’t matter how good or how bad a driver is, their needs to be more enforcement on the roads which will help to calm this down. Photo radar should never have been disbanded.
My favourite is when the posted speed limit is ignored completely and people do 30 km in a 50 zone. Accidents relating to speed are not just for when going too fast – those that don’t drive the limit can also cause issues. As we head into tourist season it is only going to get worse – as people are looking for addresses and “sighseeing” along the roadways.