The joy of the open road

With many of us reducing the cost of our 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, although it is important to be prepared for such an excursion, research released today by Saga Motor Insurance reveals that our joy of motoring is in danger of being curbed as there are still a number of us not preparing our cars ahead of a long distance journey.

Almost three quarters of us (74%) neglect to pack an emergency breakdown kit – including vital details of breakdown assistance. Over seven in ten will set off without a copy of their motor insurance. Furthermore, over half will fail to check whether they’ve even got their driving licence to hand.

When it comes to checking the car itself, thankfully we’re more diligent. Over seven in ten will check the oil and water levels before setting off to a UK holiday destination. But that still leaves almost a third who don’t.

It seems the over 50s, with their years of driving experience, are much better prepared than the younger generations of driver - who are more concerned with making sure they have the relevant in car entertainment than making safety checks.

Overall Brits of all ages adopt a laxer attitude when holidaying in the UK compared to driving abroad – with a significantly higher proportion of motorists making essential car maintenance checks before driving on foreign soil.

The research also highlighted that a third (30%) of over 50s are happy to set off without a map or GPS unit – highlighting a desire to just get in the car and see where the open road takes us.

Though every day driving can often be stressful, nearly half of motorists over 50 (48%) admit they like driving purely for enjoyment according to the research.

With that in mind, Saga asked the UK’s drivers which counties they consider to be the best driving destinations in the UK – to provide you with inspiration for your summer on the open road:

Cornwall
Yorkshire
Devon
Cumberland
Northumberland
Inverness-shire
Derbyshire
Pembrokeshire
Argyllshire
Antrim

For more information visit Saga.co.uk.