UK drivers take 'most risks' on the road between January and April

The latest GreenRoad telematics data indicates that British motorists take the greatest risks on the nation's highways between January and April. The data, which is based on the GreenRoad Safety Score, measuring braking, acceleration, corner handling, lane handling and speeding, assesses the decision making of motorists; the lower the Safety Score, the safer the driver. The UK's average monthly Safety Score, based on the study of 813 drivers, indicates that the highest scores are recorded earlier in the year, from January right through to April. From April onwards there appears to be a marked improvement in decision making, with December reportedly the safest month of the year. Although this suggests that drivers do take heed of driving conditions in the depths of winter, it is still a concern that drivers are more lax in the early part of the year. The 2012 GreenRoad data for UK road users reveals that harsh braking (48 per cent) is the most common risky event, followed by corner handling (36 per cent). Statistics for harsh braking were significantly increased on 2011, with major events across the UK such as the Olympic Games and the Diamond Jubilee perhaps attributing to increase due to higher volumes of road traffic. The data suggests the most dangerous time of day on the road is 11pm when the average Safety Score jumps dramatically before reducing to very low, safe levels overnight. Mark Hampson, driver performance change management expert at GreenRoad, said: "It appears drivers may be rushing home at the end of their late shifts. The rise in score could also be due to driving when vehicles are shunted in the depot as the operation closes for the night." However, since 2010 the average driver risk level has decreased by nearly a third (28 per cent), based on statistics of more than 70,000 GreenRoad drivers worldwide. "With GreenRoad, fleet managers can look for specific patterns and geographic locations related to high probability of harsh braking or poor corner handling. Showing the data patterns to drivers increases their awareness, and is more likely to result in a positive behavioural change," added Hampson.