Bus drivers are seen as the safest people on our roads

BUS drivers are seen as the safest people on the road – with cyclists and van drivers the worst, a new study found.

Car owners and pedestrians named bus drivers the most considerate, safest and least annoying behind the wheel. But they said van and bike users are the most infuriating.

Seven out of ten car drivers say that the most annoying habit of other road users is not signalling. They’re joined by three out of five pedestrians and cyclists.

Mobile phone use was another pet peeve with 74% of lorry drivers, 60% of car drivers, 55% of pedestrians and 50% of cyclists all calling out people who are more concerned with checking their phone than communicating with their fellow road users.

Mark Griffiths, safety expert at Continental Tyres, said: “It is clear that poor communication is at the root of much of the animosity we see on the road. Failing to signal and using mobile phones while on the road makes journeys more difficult for everyone and breeds contempt when we should all be working together for a safer road network.”

However, all of the groups surveyed believe that things need to change.

Seven out of ten cyclists and pedestrians think that people would be more conscientious and safety aware if they tried other modes of road use.

Three out of five car drivers, pedestrians and cyclists and nearly 8 out of 10 lorry drivers also believe that training for road users should include more on awareness and consideration for other types of road users.

Mark Griffiths continued: “It’s incredibly positive that, despite the everyday annoyances people experience, there is a desire to understand how others use the road.

“As identified in the survey, better training and education is being cried out for by road users and this is something we are addressing in our Vision Zero Initiative to eliminate collisions and fatalities.

“At Continental we develop technology which has the safety of all road users in mind. Whether that is tyres across all vehicles, from bicycles to HGVs, or intelligent braking technology such as AEB. We even work with adidas to provide extra grip on their running shoes. So we really are with road users every step of the way.”

“Simply by sharing the same space, road users are unavoidably connected – just as motorists and cyclists are linked by the one thing that connects them to the road – their tyres.