Australian drivers admit to breaking the law

Australian drivers admit their sins
Survey confirms majority of drivers break the law on the road.

57% of law breakers still talk on a mobile phone whilst driving.The majority of Australians admit to breaking the law whilst driving, with many saying they usually speed or exceed the speed limit to overtake another car, according to a
carsguide.com.au survey. Nearly one in every ten respondents said they break the law every time they drive, with men (92 percent) more likely to break the law whilst driving than women (80 percent).
Conducted by CoreData in partnership with carsguide.com.au, the national survey of 1387 respondents conducted this month also found:

• 89 percent of drivers admit to breaking the law whilst driving, with 85 percentsaying they usually speed and 72 percent exceed the speed limit to overtake another car
• When it comes to breaking the law, 85 percent of drivers speed on the roads, followed by 57 percent who talk on their mobile phones
• Considerably more women (82 percent) deem speeding to be a serious offence than men do (49 percent)
• Driving under the influence of alcohol is considered by nearly all of the respondents as the most serious driving offence
• More than half of respondents admit that they slow down for a speed camera and then speed up once they are past it
• 20 percent of respondents have talked their way out of a fine, mostly by telling the truth (65 percent) or apologizing (40 percent), with 10 percent admitting to lying and 3 percent said they cried to get out of a fine
• More men than women were able to talk their way out of a fine
• Younger drivers (30 and under) are more likely to break the law every time they drive
• If respondents could change a driving offence to make it no longer a crime, the majority would change parking restrictions, followed by speed limits
• Less than 85 percent of respondents are aware that the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers on a full license is 0.05
• More than one third of respondents would drive unlicensed or with an expired license if they were confident they were not going to get caught
• Over half of respondents (56 percent) feel that a greater police presence on the open road and inner city driving areas would add value to the community

Following on from earlier research by carsguide.com.au, road rage remains disturbingly common, with 87 percent of drivers witnessing road rage in another drive. Most of them saw the other driver shouting obscenities (80 percent), sticking their finger up at someone (76 percent) or tailgating another car (75 percent). “The fact that the majority of our respondents admit to breaking the law while drivingis a major issue”, carsguide.com.au editor, Alan Jones said. “Drivers seem to be aware they are breaking the law and can identify what these laws are, however continue to disobey the laws while on the road”.
“More than 60 percent of our respondents are in favour of decriminalising some common driving offences, however the rate of driving offences on our roads continues to increase and to endanger and end lives. I’m not surprised that there’s a constant battle to educate drivers and get them to respect and abide by road rules”.
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About carsguide.com.au
carsguide.com.au is News Digital Media’s national digital automotive brand featuring comprehensive news and reviews from Australia's leading motoring experts. Additionally, carsguide.com.au provides road tests, motoring tools and a marketplace for online classifieds.
The site carries more than 70,000 listings. carsguide.com.au is also available on mobile phone with carsguide.mobi – the business’ off-deck mobile offering. Carsguide.com.au has experienced a 21% growth in unique browsers during the month of October*.
* (Source NNR - Market Intelligence Auto - Syndicated Content Category September 07 –
October 07)