Roadworks add three days to motorist journeys

Motorists' across the country are spending more time than ever stuck in traffic because of roadworks, according to research by leading car insurer, MORE TH>N.

On average, over the course of a year, motorists spend an extra 70 hours driving to work due to repairs on the roads, with Londoners hardest hit spending up to 83 hours stuck in traffic.

Over 80 per cent of UK drivers encounter roadworks as part of their daily drive to work, and more than half of workers across the country believe that roadworks are on the rise.

It means that almost 70 per cent of the nation have been late for work because of roadworks, with the UK's drivers admitting they have also turned up late for important events such as weddings, funerals and job interviews.

While the average amount of time Brits factor into their daily journey in anticipation of roadwork-related delays is 10 minutes, 10 per cent  leave their homes a whole hour earlier than necessary to allow for delays.

Roadwork delays are also pushing British motorists to take extreme measures to make up for lost time. A worrying one in five motorists have broken the speed limit to avoid being late and almost a fifth find themselves suffering road rage as a result of being delayed. This can lead to them jumping red lights and venting anger on whoever might be unfortunate enough to be a passenger at the time.

Pete Markey, Head of Insurance at MORE TH>N, said: "While roadworks are necessary and beneficial to motorists in the long term, the additional time spent in the car means stress levels across the nation are increasing, which, in turn, can lead to poor driving and, ultimately, accidents.

"Fuel prices also remain high and roadworks mean people have to spend even greater sums on petrol, with 72 per cent of commuters incurring extra expense on a weekly basis as a result of getting caught in roadworks."

Our research shows nearly a third of people start their working day feeling stressed as a result of delays driving to work and one in five are losing out on precious time with their family because of delays in getting home.

Richard Massett, of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, the recognised trade body for taxi drivers run by taxi drivers, said: "It's the sheer number of roadworks that take place that is the problem. Whether they are relatively minor works carried out by the utility companies or major works which close roads for months or even years at a time, they are impossible to avoid on our heavily congested road network.
 
"Roadworks need to be coordinated and managed better to reduce delays and reliable information provided to motorists so that journeys can be planned to take account of any congestion."

For further information on MORE TH>N car insurance, visit morethan.com.