DRIVERS in North Wales are the most roadworthy in Britain, according to the results of the Halfords Autocentres Roadworthy Quiz.
The UK’s leading MOT, car service, brakes, repairs and tyres specialist surveyed over 22,000 motorists as part of its Roadworthiness Week campaign, testing drivers’ knowledge of road laws, car maintenance and safety.
The leading county in Britain was Gwynedd, where 13.9 per cent of drivers got all of the 11 quiz questions right, almost double the national average of 7.1 per cent.
Drivers in Scotland were savvier than average, too, with Tayside, Orkney & Shetland, Lothian and Fife completing the top five places.
The most roadworthy drivers in England are from Suffolk, scoring 9.6 per cent, exactly double the score of drivers in neighbouring Norfolk, where only 4.8 per cent of drivers got all the questions right – that one’s bound to stir up some ancient rivalries.
At the bottom of the scale, not one driver in Rutland got all the questions right, but then England’s smallest county has far fewer drivers. The same can’t be said for Buckinghamshire, Bristol, Bedfordshire, and East Sussex, which completed the bottom five. Only 3.1% of drivers in Buckinghamshire got all the questions right, while Bristol fared little better at 3.5%, so perhaps there’s a reason why the Wessex city has some of the worst congestion in Britain.
“While the quiz is a bit of fun, the results show a vast geographical difference in drivers’ motoring knowledge,” said Andy Randall, Halfords Autocentres Managing Director.
“We’d recommend drivers who aren’t sure about the rules at least make sure their cars are roadworthy. Our expert technicians will check your car over for free, to make sure it is in good working order before you head out on the road.”
The key findings of the Halfords Autocentres Roadworthy Quiz can be found here, along with a chance to sample the 11 questions aimed at testing drivers’ knowledge in a fun, interactive format, which also aims to help road users understand some of the newer or less well-known Motoring laws.
Motorists can test their knowledge of ‘queue jumping’, find out the laws around windscreen washers and tyre tread depth and get tips on how to help make sure their car passes its MOT first time around.
The initiative won the support of Highways England, which is very keen to keep the country’s network of motorways and major A roads running smoothly and safely during the first big getaway of 2019.
Richard Leonard, Highways England head of Road Safety, said: “We want all drivers to arrive at their destinations safely and we urge Motorists to make sure they are ready for their journey by checking their vehicles beforehand.
“Simple checks to things like tyre tread and pressure along with making sure you have plenty of fuel and oil in the vehicle can all help to prevent breakdowns.
“This quiz will helpfully remind people about the importance of those checks.”
There are 85,000 breakdowns a year on the country’s roads, and of those around 40 per cent are preventable with better vehicle maintenance. Fewer breakdowns means better safety all round, for drivers, their passengers and those involved in recovery and incident management on the country’s roads
To save drivers money and remind them about vehicle safety, Halfords Autocentres offers a free safety check: http://www.halfordsautocentres.com/car-care/free-safety-check
Halfords Autocentres is the UK’s leading MOT, car service, brakes, repairs and tyres specialist with over 300 UK Autocentres nationwide. For more information or to book visit www.halfordsautocentres.co.uk