Brits embrace the joy of motoring

It seems the over 50s are not the only ‘Sunday Drivers' on the roads as research released by Saga Motor Insurance reveals nearly half of motorists (46%) admit they like driving purely for enjoyment.

With many people curbing the cost of their holidays this year, many Brits will be indulging their love of motoring by driving to their holiday destination both in the UK and abroad. However the Saga survey reveals that many of us are not at all prepared when setting out on long distance journeys.

Three quarters are unprepared for a breakdown, forgetting to pack any kind of emergency equipment or even taking details of their breakdown policy, over a quarter omit to check their tyre pressure and almost a third do not check their oil before setting off.

The over 50s use their years of driving experience and are much better prepared than the younger generation who seem more concerned with making sure they have the relevant in car entertainment. More than six in ten (62%) under 50s didn't check their spare tyre before departing on a long journey, one in seven failed to check their tyre pressure, although 61% did remember to include music for their car stereo!

In contrast over half of over 50s checked their spare tyre, 78% checked their tyre pressure and a third packed an emergency breakdown kit and breakdown assistance details.

Brits of all ages adopt an even more lax attitude when setting off on holiday by car in the UK than when driving abroad. A significantly higher proportion of motorists make car maintenance checks before driving abroad for a holiday than when setting off on a UK break. Londoners are significantly less well prepared, with just over half checking their oil and water before the off compared with two thirds of other UK drivers.

Andrew Goodsell, Executive Chairman, Saga Group comments: "It is good to see that people still enjoy driving their cars for pleasure and don't just view them as a means of getting from A to B. It would seem that the under 50s could learn much from more experienced drivers when it comes to preparing their cars, and themselves, ahead of a long journey."

Get in the right frame of mind before you set off

99% of people admit that they get annoyed by other road users' driving and almost one in ten admit to gesturing or shouting at other drivers so it's not just our cars we need to prepare before starting off on a long journey.

Top UK driving routes

Saga polled the UK's drivers to discover which county wins the motorists' vote as the best driving destination in the UK.

Counties with the most scenic driving routes:

1 Cornwall
2 Yorkshire
3 Devon
4 Cumberland
5 Northumberland
6 Inverness-shire
7 Derbyshire
8 Pembrokeshire
9 Argyllshire
10 Antrim