Using a mobile phone at the wheel and not indicating the worst habits seen in drivers

The study of UK drivers by Privilege car insurance found that when driving offences were analysed, Bristol's motorists were named as the worst offenders followed closely by Liverpudlians and drivers in Norwich

Using a mobile phone at the wheel and not indicating the worst habits seen in drivers.

Top 10 rudest cities:

1 Bristol

2 Liverpool

3 Norwich

4 Newcastle

5 Manchester

6 Southampton

7 Birmingham

8 Glasgow and Leeds

9 London

10 Cardiff 

Of those interviewed:

• 70% saw other drivers using a mobile phone without a hands-free kit
• 65% reported other drivers not indicating or driving too fast
• more than half saw drivers constantly change lanes to get ahead

Other offences noted included:

• Pulling out in front of other drivers
• Taking up too much space on the road
• Blaring their horn unnecessarily
• Not observing right of way

When it comes to Brits admitting their own bad driving habits, as opposed to those they witnessed in others, Bristol came out top again, with 61% of Bristolians owning up to road rudeness, compared with Londoners and Liverpudlians, where only 56% claimed to have bad road manners.

Across the UK, the offences that drivers say they commit themselves include

• Driving too fast (20%)
• Nudging into traffic when pulling out of a junction or changing lanes (10%)
• Driving through puddles to splash pedestrians (3%) - a habit that in London, a staggering one in six (16%) of drivers admitted to.

When scrutinising driving rudeness or bad habits by gender, women over 55 were judged to be the rudest in several areas, including nudging into traffic or changing lanes, driving too slowly and driving in the wrong lane.

Men on the other hand, are the worst for cutting corners more than women, undertaking, driving down the middle of the road and taking up too much road space.

The report was compiled from a survey of 2,000 Britons -1,348 of whom were drivers.
Charlotte Fielding, Head of Privilege Car Insurance, said: "Inconsiderate or careless driving are two of the main causes of accidents on our roads.

"Hopefully the findings of this report will help remind people that their actions on the road do have an impact on other drivers - it's better to get there safely than risk injuring yourself or someone else, so take a deep breath, leave a safe distance between your vehicle and the car in front, and drive at a safe speed."