You have reckless driving, but there’s nothing you can do about it
If your driving skills are poor and you engage in reckless driving behavior on the road, research shows there’s nothing you can do about it. You inherited it from your parents or it’s because of your zodiac sign.
This emerges from a study by the British comparison portal Scrap Car Compare. 1,000 people took part in the study. Please note that this is a British study.
Reckless driving
Half of the participants have committed various traffic violations in the last 10 years. The group that doesn’t follow the rules as strictly usually has parents who do the same. 66 percent of parents of traffic offenders have parents who also do not follow traffic rules.
| Driver’s violation | When the parent has committed “bad” behavior | If the parent has not committed any “bad” behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Punish | 37% | 12% |
| Speed awareness course | 42% | 11% |
| Arrested by the police | 45% | 14% |
Every driver in the study with parents who followed traffic laws did not have a point on their license. Only 14 percent of people with decent parents have been stopped by the police once, 12 percent received at least one penalty point and 11 percent have taken a speed awareness course.
However, young people appear to be less likely to engage in reckless or antisocial driving behavior. In the last 10 years, 33 percent of teens (17-24) have been pulled over, 30 percent have taken a speed awareness course and 27 percent have received at least one penalty point on their license. All of these percentages are higher among the older generation. Research explains this by saying that as you get older you get sloppier and think you can drive better.
| offense | Young people | Olds |
|---|---|---|
| Punish | 27% | 36% |
| Speed awareness course | 30% | 37% |
| Arrested by the police | 33% | 36% |
Taught by parents
26 percent of drivers agree with the statement, “I learned negative driving habits from my parents,” with younger drivers agreeing the most with this statement. In fact, 42 percent believe their parents are responsible for at least some of their bad habits.
| rank | Bad habits | % who learned habits from their parents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Driving too fast | 55% |
| 2 | Road rage | 49% |
| 3 | Poor spatial awareness (e.g. driving within a lane) | 24% |
| 4 | Poor or negligent parking | 21% |
| 5 | Dangerous driving behavior (e.g. preceding another driver) | 17% |
| 6 | Driving too carefully (e.g. driving well below the speed limit) | 10% |
It’s not just bad habits that are passed on. Research shows that if you as a parent have a good driving style, this will also influence the driving behavior of your son or daughter.
Of course, you are always in control! You cannot change what you inherited. However, that is no excuse for reckless driving.
| rank | Positive driving behavior | % who learned habits from their parents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Always shows when it is needed | 46% |
| 2 | Stay calm behind the wheel | 38% |
| 3 | Drive within the speed limit | 36% |
| 4 | Do not take up any lane on the highway | 35% |
| 5 | Letting other drivers off at an intersection | 33% |
| 6 | Do you know what all the traffic signs mean? | 33% |