Tag: motoring

Mascots kick off Phase 2 of 20mph rollout

Mascots from Hibs and Hearts joined 20mph ‘champion’ The Reducer, local politicians and officers from Police Scotland on the track at Meadowbank Sports Centre yesterday to mark the kick-off of the latest stage in Edinburgh’s rollout of slower speeds in residential and shopping streets. Continue reading Mascots kick off Phase 2 of 20mph rollout

Road rage in Auld Reekie!

EDINBURGH IS HOME TO SOME OF THE UK’S MOST IMPATIENT DRIVERS

  • Poll of European motorists reveals a third of Scots regularly feel angry when driving, with Edinburgh home to the third most impatient drivers in the UK
  • Drivers across the UK say they are angrier, more stressed and more impatient than many of their European neighbours
  • Swedish motorists say they are least likely to feel angry at the wheel, whilst Italians say they are the most likely to suffer road rage reveals Ikano Bank

Angry Man Looking Out His Car Window Pointing

Two thirds (69 per cent) of drivers in Edinburgh confess to feeling impatient when driving, while more than half (55 per cent) said they regularly feel stressed. Almost a third (30 per cent) also admit to regularly suffering from road rage, according to new research released today by Ikano Bank.

The Swedish bank commissioned the Europe wide survey to explore the differences between attitudes to driving in different nations.

Just under half (45 per cent) of Scottish drivers say they’re stressed behind the wheel and over half (57 per cent) saying they feel impatient.

The survey also covered the UK’s 14 biggest cities. Drivers in Newcastle declared themselves the angriest with four in 10 (41 per cent) drivers admitting to regularly feeling cross, followed closely by Sheffield (40 per cent) and Manchester and Cardiff (both 39 per cent) tied for third.

Liverpool led the way as the calmest driving city, with one in six (16 per cent) regularly feeling angry, followed by Bristol (27 per cent) and Nottingham (31 per cent).

Sweden topped the Europe wide table for the least angry, impatient, anxious and stressed drivers. A third of Swedish drivers (30 per cent) said they regularly got angry in the car and less than half (48 per cent) said they sometimes felt impatient. Stress levels are also lower, with half of women and just a third (37 per cent) of men affected.

This is despite Swedish drivers spending the most amount of time stuck in traffic than any other nation. Almost half (46 per cent) of Swedish drivers said they spent more than four hours in traffic jams each week and one in ten (11 per cent) said they spend more than 10 hours. This compares with just 13 per cent and one per cent respectively in the UK.

Italy’s drivers admitted to being the angriest (45 per cent), most impatient (67 per cent) and most stressed (60 per cent). The UK was second in the table with Spain in a close third.

Simon Ripton, Head of Direct to Consumer at Ikano Bank, said: “In the UK, we have long been famous for our capacity for waiting patiently in queues, but these results show that we could learn something from Sweden.

“With one in 10 Swedish people saying they sit in traffic for more than 10 hours per week, it’s obvious that they are not having an easier time of it on the roads – so it’s clearly something to do with the Swedish attitude towards driving.

“Sweden is often cited for offering an excellent work-life balance with fewer people working long hours and more of an emphasis on family life as a priority, and this could have a lot to do with the way people feel when they get behind the wheel.

“At this time of the year, when the new car registrations are released, we see an increase in applications for personal loans from those looking to buy new cars. With our Swedish heritage, we want to make things as simple as possible for our customers, hence we were interested in comparing the experience our customers are having on the roads.

“We think there’s a lot to be said for the Swedish way of life. With that in mind, we’ve launched our ‘Drive Like a Swede’ competition, where we’re giving away advanced driver courses to 100 motorists with the aim of making their experience on the road just that little bit better.”

For more details on how to enter to win one of 100 advanced driver courses with IAM Roadsmart, please visit www.ikano.co.uk/like-a-swede.

Research overview:

UK Cities

Liverpool Nottingham Dundee Sheffield Aberdeen City Leeds Edinburgh
Angry 16/100 31/100 36/100 40/100 36/100 31/100 30/100
Impatient 60/100 46/100 59/100 62/100 67/100 62/100 69/100
Stressed 47/100 49/100 44/100 43/100 47/100 51/100 55/100
Anxious 35/100 47/100 39/100 35/100 31/100 37/100 30/100
Average 39.58% 43.22% 44.49% 44.64% 45.14% 45.44% 45.70%

 

London Birmingham Cardiff Greater Manchester Bristol Newcastle upon Tyne Glasgow
Angry 34/100 33/100 39/100 39/100 27/100 41/100 35/100
Impatient 62/100 59/100 68/100 66/100 70/100 68/100 71/100
Stressed 50/100 56/100 52/100 52/100 61/100 59/100 64/100
Anxious 40/100 43/100 37/100 41/100 41/100 40/100 40/100
Average 46.39% 47.67% 48.81% 49.33% 50.00% 51.84% 52.60%

 

 

 

Dundee Edinburgh Cardiff Sheffield Glasgow Liverpool Aberdeen
Relaxed 95/100 94/100 92/100 95/100 87/100 92/100 86/100
Happy 97/100 94/100 92/100 88/100 96/100 90/100 94/100
Average 95.76% 93.75% 92.06% 91.67% 91.56% 90.83% 90.28%

 

 

Bristol Greater Manchester Leeds London Newcastle upon Tyne Birmingham Nottingham
Relaxed 88/100 87/100 85/100 86/100 87/100 80/100 80/100
Happy 89/100 89/100 91/100 87/100 81/100 82/100 81/100
Average 88.28% 88.00% 87.96% 86.11% 83.82% 81.01% 80.51%

 

 

Countries

 

Sweden Germany Netherlands France Spain UK Italy Wales Scotland
Angry 30/100 30/100 31/100 38/100 43/100 38/100 45/100 31/100 33/100
Impatient 48/100 56/100 52/100 61/100 57/100 62/100 67/100 59/100 57/100
Stressed 43/100 46/100 35/100 43/100 51/100 50/100 60/100 45/100 45/100
Anxious 18/100 18/100 19/100 35/100 37/100 41/100 47/100 36/100 34/100
Average 35.13% 37.76% 39.06% 44.51% 47.05% 47.92% 54.53% 42.89% 42.15%

Meet The Reducer!

The Reducer will champion city 20mph initiative

reduce

Edinburgh is the first city in Scotland implementing a citywide 20mph network. The new limit aims to reduce the risk and severity of road collisions, encourage travel on foot and by bike and help make the city’s streets more people-friendly.
Continue reading Meet The Reducer!

Dogs die in hot cars, motorists warned

Dogs die in hot cars warning

Dogs die in hot cars poster

The Scottish SPCA is urging pet owners not to leave their dogs in hot cars as the temperatures rise this summer.

Scotland’s animal welfare charity has also warned that earlier this year a woman from Stirling was convicted after leaving a dog in the boot of her vehicle on a hot day.

Concerned members of the public have already been contacting the charity’s animal helpline after seeing distressed dogs left inside warm cars. The Scottish SPCA is keen to remind the public that they may be risking their dog’s life by leaving it in a hot car for even a short period of time.

Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said, “Most people know what it’s like to get into a car after it’s been sitting in the sun. It’s unbearable and we immediately roll down the windows or turn on the air conditioning.

“Imagine being trapped inside a hot vehicle wearing a fur coat for minutes, possibly hours, and you are some way to understanding how a dog left inside a hot vehicle feels.

“Many people might not realise that even on warm, cloudy days, cars can effectively turn into ovens and dogs can overheat in minutes.

“Leaving a window open or providing water is simply not good enough. Dogs can’t sweat the way humans do and need to pant to cool down which can lead to severe dehydration and hyperventilation.

“We run our campaign every year but we continue to receive a large number of calls from concerned members of the public each summer and we fear some owners don’t fully appreciate the danger they are putting their pets in.

“In April a 45 year old woman from Stirling was convicted for leaving a dog inside the boot of her car without water for approximately one hour on a hot day. She was banned from keeping animals for five years.

“Tragically the Yorkshire terrier, which belonged to the woman’s father, was diagnosed with heatstroke and died after suffering a cardiac seizure.

“We hope this case serves as a warning to other owners who may be tempted to leave a dog in their vehicle on a warm day. Our advice is to leave dogs at home as it is simply not worth the risk.”

Scottish SPCA posters highlighting the dangers of leaving dogs in hot
cars are available to be displayed in local communities. To request
copies please phone the charity on 03000 999 999 selecting option 5 or
email fundraising@scottishspca.org.