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Road Rage: Survey Reveals UK Drivers are in Denial


road rage

LONDON--July 12, 2012:

ingenie (ingenie) commissioned the survey of over 3,950 UK motorists, conducted by One Poll, which has uncovered that while 83% of drivers don't think of themselves as a "road rager", almost 85% admitted to road rage behaviour.

The survey confirmed that road rage remains a major problem with two thirds of individuals saying they had been a victim of road rage in the past 12 months. Motorists from Leicester were most prepared to admit they were road ragers, while Gloucester drivers were least likely to experience road rage.

The UK-wide survey also found:

    
    - 47% of those surveyed said BMW drivers were the most responsible for
      inciting road rage.
    - The top three frustrations while driving were tailgating (46%), failure to
      indicate (45%) and catching other drivers using their phones (33%).
    - Surprisingly, elderly drivers (45%) were behind only van drivers (47%) in the
      groups of road users likely to cause other drivers road rage.
    - The road in the UK most likely to provoke road rage was the M25, followed by
      the M1, the M6, the A1 and the M5.
    - Country roads were ranked least likely to cause road rage, with urban roads
      most likely.
    - Having plenty of time to make their journey (58%) was the top thing that made
      people feel calmer on the road.

Richard King, CEO of ingenie said: "Road rage is not new, but it is a growing problem. It has been defined as anti-social and angry behaviour exhibited when driving, often due to stress, poor attitudes and personality factors. If road rage strikes it's important not to forget how it can affect your driving - and therefore the safety of yourself, your passengers and other road users.

"It would be great if we always had the road to ourselves, but in reality driving is a shared experience and can be stressful. At ingenie we're all about encouraging a better, safer driving style - so if the red mist should descend, be sure to remember the potential impact it could have on those around you."

In response to the survey results, ingenie are running a road rage awareness campaign called #RedMist, which aims to educate drivers on the impact road rage has on the driving community and offers tips on how to deal with and prevent road rage.

The campaign includes a quiz developed with Dr Lisa Dorn, Traffic Psychologist and Reader in Driver Behaviour at Cranfield University, entitled "Which road rager are you?" where drivers answer 10 questions to discover their risk of road rage. The campaign and quiz, which has so far been completed by over 5,000 motorists, can be found on the ingenie website: Ingenie Redmist

About ingenie:

ingenie is a digital car insurance brand for young drivers aged 17-25 that uses the latest telematics technology - read more here http://www.ingenie.com/telematics - to build a picture of a driver's individual style and reward those who drive well with cheaper insurance premiums.

Richard King, ingenie founder and CEO, had previous start-up success in the technology/insurance sector as co-founder and executive director of Innovation Group plc, which he helped grow from a start-up to a listing on the London Stock Exchange in 2000 with a peak valuation of GBP1bn. Chief Underwriter Chris McKee was formerly on the board of Direct Line and has more than 30 years' experience in direct insurance. Steve Broughton, a highly respected insurance industry professional of more than 30 years, is the chairman of ingenie. In addition to his executive career at RSA Insurance Group, Broughton is also a former chairman of the Motor Insurers' Bureau and is currently the Chairman of Tesco Underwriting Limited.

ingenie was launched at the end of 2011 with investment from footballer turned broadcaster Gary Lineker (who also supports the brand as an ambassador), Williams F1 Team (who provide expertise in telematics and assist in promoting the brand and road safety) and leading figures from UK business including Sir Martin Broughton, Chairman of British Airways and Gavin Patterson, Chief Executive of BT Retail (BT Group PLC).