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Category: IAM RoadSmart

  1. BAD DRIVERS BEWARE! YOU’RE HALF AS ATTRACTIVE AS MOTORISTS WITH GOOD SKILLS BEHIND THE WHEEL

    Posted on

    • The IAM’s new scientific experiment reveals bad driving reduces attractiveness by 50%
    • 4 in 5 women and nearly half of men are physically turned off by bad driving
    • Pulse rates increase by as much as 20% when watching bad driving, showing significant levels of stress

    Bad driving significantly reduces levels of attractiveness in potential partners, with women finding it particularly off-putting, found the first ever scientific study into driving skills and desirability conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

    Finally answering the long-debated question about whether poor driving skills put a dampener on romance, the experiment found bad drivers to be 50% less attractive than motorists with good skills.

    The IAM teamed up with prominent behavioural psychologist Jo Hemmings for the study. Candidates were shown videos of both good and bad driving whilst being tested for their levels of attraction towards the driver using pulse rate, pupil dilation, blink rate and body language.

    Attractiveness dropped from 4.8 to 2.8 in women proving the most significant reduction, with 84% of candidates reporting more negative feelings towards the driver after experiencing their incompetence on the road.

    The pulse rate of 60% of female candidates increased whilst watching bad driving manoeuvres, with a 20% increase for a third indicating a significant rise in stress levels.
    And it’s the aggressive and confrontational manoeuvres that were found to be most unattractive to women – with road rage, illegal overtaking and tailgating topping a list of gaffes that provoke the strongest negative reactions.

    In contrast, reactions in men were found to be less significant, with just over a quarter (28%) reporting a dislike for the driver after seeing them behind the wheel.
    Body language indicators showed that for men, instead of stress, frustration was the overwhelming response. Candidates were found to frown, become agitated and shift position as they watched videos of parking, turning the car around or other examples of distracted or preoccupied behaviours.

    Behavioural psychologist Jo Hemmings explains: “There is no doubt that across the board most candidates, and nearly all of the women, found bad driving to be a turn-off.

    However, it’s interesting to look at the reactions of different genders. Some male reactions to bad driving included laughter and amusement, indicating that men have a less mature emotional response to bad driving than women who instead furrowed their brows and shook their heads.”

    Top 5 driving behaviours that turn off women
    1. Illegal overtaking
    2. Road rage
    3. Bad parking
    4. Texting whilst driving
    5. 3 point turn

    Top five driving behaviours that turn off men
    1. Three point turn
    2. Talking selfies at the wheel
    3. Texting whilst driving
    4. Driving the wrong way round a roundabout
    5. Bad parking

    The experiment follows independent research by the IAM which uncovered bad driving as one of the UK’s biggest first date turn-offs. Road rage was the worst first-date faux pas for almost half (46%) of Brits, whilst a similar number say texting at the wheel leaves them wanting to end a date then and there.

    A further one in 10 (11%) are irritated by someone who takes 15 minutes to park, whilst an eighth of Brits (13%) find overly cautious drivers who go under the speed limit off-putting.

    Jo Hemmings continued: “Overall the experiment supports the hypothesis that bad driving elicits strong instinctive responses, with a correlated effect on levels of desire. However, it's evident that women have a stronger negative reaction to bad driving than men, and find bad drivers considerably less attractive as a result.”

    The IAM’s chief executive, Sarah Sillars said: “The results from the survey piqued our interest, so we enlisted Jo and a team of scientists to put the science behind the theory. Bad driving not only has an impact on the safety of our roads, but can also affect your relationships. Being able to manoeuvre properly and drive carefully should be much higher up on people’s priorities.”

    Singles can improve their driving skills – and chances of romance – by signing up for a free IAM driving assessment worth £39 at iam.org.uk/lovedriving. See if you can improve your ‘pulling’ power today.

  2. IAM concerned at ‘stagnation’ in progress on drink drive accidents‏

    Posted on

    The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) have expressed disappointment at the findings of the latest long term review of drinking and driving data issued by the government this morning (6 August) which shows a stagnation in progress since 2010.

    Drinking and driving data from 1979-2014 shows there were an estimated 8,320 drink-drive casualties in 2014 in Britain, up from 8,270 in 2013. This is the first increase in casualties since 2002 (1). More importantly drink-drive related deaths have remained unchanged since 2010.

    Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research, said: “While good progress has been made over the years, we are very concerned that we may have reached a plateau and are not making much progress in further reducing alcohol related crashes.

    “The new government has a great opportunity to set the agenda right at the start of the new administration and top of their list should be a consultation on reducing the drink drive limit in England and Wales to align with Scotland and most of the rest of Europe.”

    ENDS

    Reference:


    1

    The IAM is the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, dedicated to improving standards and safety in driving and motorcycling. The commercial division of the IAM operates through its occupational driver training company IAM Drive & Survive. The IAM has more than 200 local volunteer groups and over 90,000 members in the UK and Ireland. It is best known for the advanced driving test and the advanced driving and motorcycling courses. Its policy and research division offers advice and expertise on road safety.

  3. IAM encourages bikers to claim their free taste of advanced riding as part of major safety giveaway

    Posted on

    In an effort to encourage bikers to take their skills to the next level, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is launching its biggest ever giveaway promotion in England and Wales geared exclusively to bikers.

    Any bike licence holder will be entitled to a free one hour taster session with an IAM qualified instructor in one of 12 locations around England and Wales.

    The taster sessions are part of the IAM’s ongoing goal to improve the riding and driving standards of road users across the country and cut the numbers of those killed and seriously injured on our roads.

    The IAM also wants riders to enjoy their riding more as a result of gaining those extra skills.

    But anyone wanting to take advantage of the taster sessions, normally worth £45 a person, needs to move fast – they must be booked by the end of September.

    To take advantage of the free sessions visit the webpage www.iam.org.uk/bikemoments     

    Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “This is also a great opportunity for people to do something they have no doubt been putting off for a long time. Everyone gets into a few bad habits in their riding over the months and years, and this is the perfect opportunity to put that right.

    “The free taster is an enjoyable low-pressure way of sharpening up those skills, pointing out any areas that need attention, and perhaps pave the way for taking part in one of our other courses.

    “This is an unprecedented opportunity for riders, wherever they are in the country, to get a very valuable taster session by an acknowledged expert in the field.”

    Running alongside the IAM’s taster session giveaway, the charity is also encouraging bikers to share their love of riding as part of its #BikeMoments promotion on social media.

    Riders are asked to share their unforgettable bike memories on the www.facebook.com/IAM.BikeMoments page or on Twitter using the hashtag #BikeMoments.

    Anyone taking part has the chance to win free tickets to this year’s Motorcycle Live show at the Birmingham NEC between 28 November and 6 December.

    Motorcycle Live promises to be a must-see for bike enthusiasts, with more than 30 manufacturers revealing their 2016 bikes for the first time and a host of celebrities expected to attend.

    Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “The campaign #BikeMoments aims to showcase the joy of riding and the fantastic memories it brings, and encourage motorcyclists to discover new advanced riding techniques as a way to ensure even more unforgettable bike memories.”

    As well as the webpage www.iam.org.uk/bikemoments you can also book your free taster session on our central hotline number: 0300 303 1134.

    IAM encourages bikers to claim their free taste of advanced riding as part

    IAM

    The IAM is the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, dedicated to improving standards and safety in driving and motorcycling. The commercial division of the IAM operates through its occupational driver training company IAM Drive & Survive. The IAM has more than 200 local volunteer groups and over 90,000 members in the UK and Ireland. It is best known for the advanced driving test and the advanced driving and motorcycling courses. Its policy and research division offers advice and expertise on road safety. 

  4. Rudeness, poor hygiene & bad driving: Top 10 first date turn-offs that really grind our gears‏

    Posted on

    Forget flowers and chocolates, it would appear that the surest way to woo a potential love interest is to grab the L plates and brush up on driving skills as a new survey from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) reveals the UK’s biggest first date turn-offs.

    Whilst rudeness scored highest in the list, with 81% of Brits citing bad manners as the worst thing a suitor can do, driving is a three-point turn off as nearly half of the 10 worst offences happen in the car before the date has even begun.

    The research found road rage to be the worst first-date faux pas for almost half (46%) of people, whilst a similar number say texting at the wheel leaves them wanting to put the brakes on the date.

    Talking on a mobile whilst driving appeared at number seven in the list, grinding the gears of 44 per cent of those questioned. And it’s best to bin those crisp packets as nearly a quarter (23%) finds a dirty car unappealing.


    Top 10 first date turn-offs

    1. Rudeness (81%)
    2. Bad personal hygiene (80%)
    3. No sense of humour (70%)
    4. Being self-obsessed (69%)
    5. Road rage (46%)
    6. Texting whilst driving (45%)
    7. Talking on a mobile whilst driving (44%)
    8. Bad dress sense (40%)
    9. Sweaty palms (25%)
    10. Dirty car (23%)

    Top 10 first date turn-ons

    1. Sense of humour (81%)
    2. Politeness (77%)
    3. Good personal hygiene (69%)
    4. Good dress sense (50%)
    5. Looks (44%)
    6. Confidence (44%)
    7. Generosity (29%)
    8. Good driving skills (11%)
    9. Great shoes (9%)
    10. Nice car (7%)

    A further one in 10 (11%) are irritated by someone who takes 15 minutes to park, whilst an eighth of Brits (13%) find overly cautious drivers who go under the speed limit off-putting.

    Other turn-offs include bad personal hygiene, which causes four in five (80%) of us to lose interest, and no sense of humour which shirks nearly three quarters (70%) of singletons. Being self-obsessed (69%) and sweaty palms (25%) also scored highly in the list.

    On the flipside, more than one in 10 (11%) Brits say good driving skills get their motors running on a first date – beating a nice car (7%) and great shoes (9%).

    The IAM’s chief executive, Sarah Sillars said: “Bad driving not only has an impact on the safety of our roads, but can also affect your chances of romance. Being able to manoeuvre properly and drive carefully should be much higher up on peoples dating priorities.”

    The research revealed that Brits pick up on the driving skills of a date – good or bad - within the first 65 seconds of getting in the car, with half picking up on their potential partner’s prowess behind the wheel in just 20 seconds.

    Singles can improve their driving skills – and chances of romance – by signing up for a free IAM driving assessment worth £39 at iam.org.uk/lovedriving. See if you can improve your ‘pulling’ power today.

    The IAM is the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, dedicated to improving standards and safety in driving and motorcycling. The commercial division of the IAM operates through its occupational driver training company IAM Drive & Survive. The IAM has more than 200 local volunteer groups and over 90,000 members in the UK and Ireland. It is best known for the advanced driving test and the advanced driving and motorcycling courses. Its policy and research division offers advice and expertise on road safety.

  5. IAM calls for radical changes to reverse alarming road death figures in Britain‏

    Posted on

    The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is very concerned at the alarming increase in road deaths in Britain, following the publication of the latest accident statistics from the Department for Transport today.

    Figures released this morning show that overall casualties have risen for the first time in 18 years.

    The IAM urges the government to take radical steps to reverse these worrying figures before they become a trend, in particular that pedestrian protection must not be ignored and moved much further up the agenda, and the decline in numbers of police traffic officers must be reversed.

    The figures show there were 1,775 reported road deaths in 2014, an increase of 4% compared with 2013. The number of those killed or seriously injured in Britain increased by 5% to 24,582. There were a total of 194,477 casualties of all severities, an increase of 6%, the first increase in overall casualties since 1997.

    Pedestrian fatalities increased by 12 per cent from 398 in 2013 to 446 in 2014, and vehicle traffic levels increased by 2.4 per cent between 2013 and 2014. In addition, the numbers of people killed on roads with a 20mph limit increased by 367%.

    Last week, Key Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2014 figures showed a total of 11,240 road casualties reported in 2014 and there were 200 fatalities - 6% more than 2013 (reference 2).

    Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research, said: “These figures are greatly concerning and show the time for action is now.

    “We are clear on what needs to happen. We call again for road safety targets to be reintroduced – they are the only clear way of ensuring reductions are measured and achieved.

    “There also must be a greater focus on driver and rider quality and incentives for companies and individuals to continuously develop their skills.

    “There also needs to be a focus on tackling pedestrian deaths, an area which is often ignored. We believe that car technology and design should now shift from occupant protection to protecting the vulnerable outside cars.”

    Neil suggested manufacturers should pursue developments like pop-up bonnets, pedestrian airbags and detector systems.

    He added: “We also need better pedestrian facilities to segregate traffic and vulnerable users where speeds are high, and campaigns to educate pedestrians themselves as they are most often at fault in crashes.”