Extreme weather sends British drivers into a spin
New research from Mercedes-Benz World reveals that once the weather changes, we become a nation of nervous drivers, lacking the knowledge and experience to deal with skids, floods and snow. According to the research, almost a third of the driving population (31%) have lost control of their vehicle in bad weather and three quarters (76%) of us are not confident drivers in all conditions.
When it comes to intimidating weather, ice is top of the list making more than half of Brits (58%) feel nervous about driving, followed by fog (45%) and snow (43%).
Almost a third (31%) are unnerved when driving with low winter sun in their eyes, and it seems the summer’s downpours took their toll on our confidence too as almost a third are nervous about driving in flooding (31%) and heavy rain (29%).
Almost half the population (45%) admitted that they either don’t know how to handle a skid or that they know the theory but would not be confident in their ability to react appropriately. And a quarter felt the same way about driving in snow (25%) or in a flood (27%).
Despite the nerves and lack of experience, almost one in five Brits (18%) admitted to ignoring severe weather warnings and driving in extreme weather conditions.
Peter O’ Halloran, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz World commented: “We conducted the research to try to get a better understanding of the driving skills and conditions that many British motorists struggle with.
“Often people question why our roads come to a standstill after a few inches of snowfall compared to countries like Russia, Canada and Sweden where everything continues to function despite far more extreme conditions.
“One thought is that our severe weather is so fleeting that we don’t give it the same focus. In other countries where snow sits on the ground for months, individuals plan and prepare for those conditions and gain plenty of experience in dealing with them.
“We’re hoping that more people will take advantage of the various courses we offer at Mercedes-Benz World to gain practical experience and professional guidance on how to deal with these conditions, making the roads safer for everyone. With this in mind, it’s encouraging that almost a third of respondents (32%) said that they thought they would really benefit from having some training in how to handle extreme weather conditions.”
Driver Training
Mercedes-Benz World offers driving experiences using its unique facilities to simulate extreme road conditions, providing the opportunity to practice driving on a slippery surface with guidance from a professional.
The handling and performance packages allow drivers to simulate manoeuvres under winter conditions. The wet-skid circle is used to create the sensation of black ice under the wheels and to teach customers how to handle the car in a slide or skid. On the Wet Straight visitors can experience how the car reacts on an icy junction and what action is required to keep it under control.
The off-road 4x4 package takes drivers through a variety of difficult terrains including mud, deep water, sand and rocky ground, all of which will improve confidence in tricky conditions.
Should men be more confident drivers than women?
The research also highlighted some interesting differences between men and women and their approach to driving in bad weather conditions. On the whole, men appear to be much more confident than women: more than a third of men (37%) said that they are confident drivers in all weather conditions compared to just one in ten women (10%); only a third (35%) of men are nervous driving in snow compared to half of women (51%); and two and a half times as many women as men admitted they didn’t know how to handle a skid.
However, perhaps this confidence is misplaced as two in five (39%) men confessed that they had lost control of their vehicles in bad weather compared to less than a quarter of women (23%).
