Men get 100 lines for ignoring rules of the road

British roads may be covered in them, but only 1% of drivers are able to correctly identify four of the most common lines on UK roads, according to new research out from Sheilas’ Wheels - the major new car insurance brand for women.

While one third of women (33%) never disobey a road marking they recognise, over three quarters of men (78%) admit to flouting the rules of the road.

There are an estimated 373,000 miles of lines on UK roads, comprising 31 distinct types of lines - each with its own rules and restrictions as described by the Highway Code. The Sheilas’ Wheels ‘Marking and Parking Survey’ today reveals that only 1% of drivers claim they recognise and understand all of them, while 68% of drivers believe they can only recognise ‘about half or less’.

Alarmingly, the survey suggests that some of the most common and important road markings are not recognised by millions of drivers. When asked to identify the four road markings which indicate ‘Warning of ‘Give Way’ just ahead’, ‘Give way to traffic on a major road’, ‘No loading or unloading at any time’ and ‘No stopping at any time’, only 1% of respondents identified all four correctly while 76% of drivers got a least three wrong.

The survey also investigated which types of drivers are perceived as most likely to flout lines and road markings by parking, pulling out or overtaking illegally. ‘Men in white vans’ and ‘men in sports cars’ were cited as the most line-blind drivers, while ‘family drivers’ were seen as the least likely to break the Highway Code. Another finding casts light on why this might be: over 90% of drivers admitted to having hardly ever opened their Highway Code since passing their driving test.

More findings from the Sheilas’ Wheels research include:

Flouting the rules

84% of women think men are more likely to ignore road markings when driving, overall three quarters of all drivers – including men - believe male drivers are the worst offenders (72%).

64% of women claim to have never parked illegally.

Yellow lines are the most disobeyed road marking, 29% of drivers say they pay no attention to single yellow lines and a quarter of drivers admit to parking on double yellow lines.

Jacky Brown, spokeswoman for Sheilas’ Wheels said:“There are over 370,000 miles of lines on the road and they play a crucial role in keeping drivers safe. This poll shows that women lead the way when it comes to respecting the rules of the road. This is backed up by the latest Home Office conviction statistics which show that women are responsible for only 21% of obstruction, waiting and parking offences of offences in the UK****.

“We urge all drivers to be observant when out and about in their cars. If they spot lines or markings they don’t understand they need to dust down their copy of the Highway Code and refresh their memory.”