A brand new survey has revealed simply how regularly UK motorists encounter close to miss driving incidents, underlining the necessity for heightened consciousness, higher decision-making, and continued skilled improvement for trainers and their pupils.
The examine of two,000 drivers, carried out by momentary automobile insurance coverage supplier Tempcover, discovered that 71 p.c have skilled a minimum of one close to miss. The typical driver encounters nearly three shut calls a yr, which the Driving Instructors Affiliation says is a well timed reminder of how shortly conditions can escalate, notably for learners who could already be managing larger cognitive load.
What’s inflicting these close to misses?
Greater than half of respondents blamed one other driver for his or her most up-to-date shut name, with one quarter citing aggressive or dangerous behaviour. Ten p.c attributed the incident to cyclists or pedestrians, whereas eight p.c accepted full accountability and pointed to lapses in focus. In conditions the place accountability was shared, misjudging a junction or roundabout was the main trigger.
Throughout the survey, the ten most reported causes for close to misses have been:
• Aggressive or dangerous driving, 15 p.c
• Lack of consideration, 14 p.c
• Misjudged junctions, roundabouts, or turns, 11 p.c
• Poor climate, 7 p.c
• Dashing, 7 p.c
• Pedestrians getting into the highway unexpectedly, 6 p.c
• Poor highway situations, 5 p.c
• Cyclists not following highway guidelines, 5 p.c
• Distracted driving, 4 p.c
• Cyclists swerving or overtaking unexpectedly, 3 p.c
Residential areas have been the most typical setting for close to miss driving incidents, with 32 p.c of drivers reporting shut calls on these roads. Virtually half occurred throughout daytime hours between 10am and 4pm, a interval that for a lot of ADIs consists of hands-on pupil coaching.
Affect on driver confidence
One quarter of drivers mentioned a close to miss had diminished their confidence, with 38 p.c feeling shaken afterwards and a 3rd feeling annoyed. Encouragingly, many motorists adjusted their behaviour in response; nearly one third mentioned they paid extra consideration following the incident and one in 5 turned extra acutely aware of velocity. Some drivers launched security tools reminiscent of dashcams, whereas others prevented troublesome situations totally.
For instructors, these findings reinforce the significance of encouraging reflective observe and serving to learners perceive that security is formed not solely by their very own actions however by the behaviour of others sharing the highway.
Serving to learners recognise and stop close to misses
Tempcover’s driving security specialists emphasise the worth of proactive hazard consciousness, reinforcing present rules integral to ADI coaching. Their steering consists of:
• Minimising distractions and sustaining full focus
• Adjusting driving to swimsuit climate, visibility, and visitors situations
• Being notably vigilant in residential areas
• Reflecting on private driving habits and studying from shut calls
• Utilizing know-how reminiscent of dashcams to assist safer driving
For trainers, these factors present well timed prompts to revisit frequent danger elements throughout classes, assist learners with stronger commentary routines, and combine reflective studying into on a regular basis observe.
