67% drivers don’t feel safe driving

A NEW study conducted by Liberty Insurance claims that a staggering number of people in Munster have felt anxiety on Irish roads.

The report found that 63% of respondents feel unprepared to drive on Irish roads even after passing their practical tests, while only two in five drivers, or 37%, felt comfortable on the roads after completing their tests.

Perhaps most worryingly of all is that 67% of those Munster drivers said that Irish roads are more dangerous than they were 10 years ago, despite safe driving campaigns and billions of euros worth of road improvements.

Overall, women drivers are less confident than their male counterparts with female drivers under 30 being the least confident road users, with the majority of them being in Connaught and Ulster.

Deirdre Ashe, a spokesperson for Liberty Insurance said the startling statistics were not surprising to them as d drivers face bigger distractions today.

“In many ways, this isn’t entirely surprising. Our roads are busier than ever before, with many distractions for drivers, like smartphones. Adding to the danger is the huge number of people driving without insurance, which we estimate to be 151,000.”

Despite the lack of confidence on Irish roads, Mrs Ashe has said that there has been giant leaps in road safety over the last number of years. “Since it’s foundation, the Road Safety Authority has led the way in raising standards and as a result, we’ve seen significant safety improvement.”