Motorists colour-blind to traffic lights

New research shows that just four per cent of UK motorists polled can correctly identify the meaning of a full sequence of traffic light signals: red; red and amber; green; and amber. In fact, a third of drivers polled (30 per cent) only managed to correctly identify one out of the four traffic light signals correctly.

According to the research by esure car insurance, when asked what motorists were most likely to do at a red and amber traffic light signal, just 10 per cent answered correctly i.e. that they should stop and not pass through or start moving until the green signal. Two thirds of those polled (66 per cent) answered that they would most likely 'prepare to go' when given this traffic light signal.

Worryingly, there are an estimated 330,000 motorists who think that a red traffic light signal means that they should prepare to go!

Over three quarters (77 per cent) of motorists questioned said that they had sped up on the approach to a set of green traffic lights to try and get through the junction before the lights changed.

One in seven (14 per cent) admitted that they do this on a regular basis, while almost a third (31 per cent) confessed that they had done this several times.

62 per cent of motorists surveyed said that they had driven through a red light at least once - even if just by accident, with four per cent admitting that they had done so several times.

Mike Pickard, Head of Risk and Underwriting at esure car insurance, said: "The fact that millions of UK motorists are unable to correctly identify the basic traffic light signals they encounter on a daily basis is a huge cause for concern. It's also worrying that so many admit to speeding up at lights to try to avoid having to wait or even jump a red deliberately - as this can put other road-users and pedestrians at risk."

"esure advises all motorists to make sure they brush up on their knowledge of the Highway Code so that they are driving as safely as possible and approach sets of traffic lights with care and caution."

Regional Differences
Motorists in Yorkshire scored the worst when it came to correctly identifying all traffic light signals - 13 per cent identified none of the signals correctly. However, Welsh motorists proved that they know their Highway Code well, with 11 per cent understanding all four traffic light signals.

Motorists in London are the worst culprits when it comes to driving through red traffic lights, with 66 per cent of those polled admitting that they have done so at least once (even if only by accident) compared to 51 per cent of motorists in the West Midlands.

Gender Divide
Female motorists are more cautious than their male counterparts, with 57 per cent admitting that they had driven through a red traffic light signal at least once, compared to two thirds (66 per cent) of male drivers.