Driven to distraction?

Drivers aged 25-34 are most likely to have bad driving habits, according to a survey by AA Tyres.

Although younger drivers are generally considered to be the most dangerous on the roads, the poll discovered that so-called “Generation Y” drivers (those born in the 1980s and 1990s) were most likely to have 11 of the 12 bad habits included in the survey, including eating or drinking behind the wheel and hard braking.

Almost nine in 10 people in this age group (88%) admitted to regularly adjusting in-car tech, such as radios and satellite navigation systems, while driving, and almost as many (87%) were guilty of braking hard and late, and driving while tired.

The survey also found roughly two-thirds (66%) regularly fail to indicate at the appropriate time, such as when leaving roundabouts, and more than half (53%) are often found driving in the middle lane of the motorway when the inside lane is clear.

Despite these results, there were one or two mitigating circumstances for Generation Y’s motorists.

For three of the 12 bad habits investigated (not indicating, tailgating and rubbernecking), 18-24-year-olds were just as likely to be found guilty, and for one bad habit – littering – the younger age group was deemed the most likely offender.

Of the 21,741 questioned, 89% admitted to speeding, while more 72% confessed to regularly driving while tired.

“It seems Britain’s millennial motorists could learn a thing or two from their elders when it comes to etiquette and safe driving,” said AA Tyres’ managing director Mark Shankland.

“They were the worst offenders for tailgating, being distracted by technology, braking too late and driving while tired, which puts themselves and other road users in unnecessary danger.

“However, we all seem to be guilty of these bad habits in different measures and it is worrying to see the majority of those polled often admit to speeding.”