More than half of motorists are worried about travelling on the UK’s roads

Sixty per cent of motorists are concerned about driving on Britain’s roads in one form or another, a new survey has suggested.

A poll of 1,004 motorists by leading road safety charity IAM Roadsmart found that 33 per cent of those surveyed were most worried about travelling on a smart motorway, making this the road type that drivers are most concerned about.

This compares with the six per cent of respondents who said they were worried about driving on a traditional motorway with a hard shoulder.

Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart, said: “Our research has laid bare the staggering number of people who feel worried about driving on Britain’s roads. We would encourage drivers to do all they can to re-educate themselves, especially during National Road Victim Month this August, on how to navigate the unique challenges and considerations each road type presents.”

Some 14 per cent of drivers stated that they were worried about driving on rural or single carriageway roads, despite the most number of road-related deaths occurring on these roads.

Greig added: “While statistics may well show that smart motorways have fewer fatal crashes than conventional motorways, our research shows that far too many drivers still don’t feel safe on them.

“Moving forward, it is vital that National Highways up their efforts to keep the public informed and continue to raise awareness of how to drive safely on smart motorways. It is also clear that awareness needs to be raised about the risks of rural roads.

“Far from being a pleasant drive in the countryside, these are the type of roads which can punish mistakes with death and injury.”