Roundabouts are most common location for near-misses, survey suggests
Roundabouts are the most common location for narrowly avoiding crashes, a new survey suggests.
They featured in 20% of the 2,810 near-miss scenarios from 2024 obtained by collision support service AA Accident Assist.
The incidents largely involved respondents saying someone almost ran into the back of them, or they nearly drove into the vehicle in front.
Car parks (11%) and junctions (9%) completed the top three most common locations for near-misses.
Some 24% of respondents to a survey of 13,767 AA members said they had at least one near-miss last year.
Drivers aged 18-24 were the most likely (37%) to say they were involved in such an incident, with those aged 65 and above the least likely (21%).
Newly qualified drivers
Separate figures show one in five newly qualified drivers crash within the first 12 months after passing their test.
Tim Rankin, managing director of the AA’s road collision support service Accident Assist, said: “Crashing into something or someone can be a frightening and stressful experience, yet one in four drivers almost found themselves in that position.
“Some drivers admitted to us that they were distracted by something else at the time, or that they simply weren’t expecting the unexpected.
“Concentration on roundabouts and at junctions is especially important, as these are where drivers were most vulnerable.
“While inexperience is a big factor, drivers of all ages found themselves in difficult situations.
“Driving is a lifetime skill, so finding a way to encourage and reward in-life learning could produce safer drivers.”
– The survey was conducted by research company Yonder last month.
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Good article, and interesting statistics. I occasionally have to deal with assessing collision statistics in my line of work. I often find myself mulling over the subjective nature of collision analysis, because of the number of near misses that won’t get reported. I will have a dig into the AA stats to get a bigger picture …
By “distraction” I will say mobile phones as a factor. They need tighter regulation and enforcement for driving and make their use as bad as drink driving.
‘Cognitive distraction’ I think is the term employed, and is starting to be recognised as a problem with the driving environment. I think that studies have been done which have shown that, irrespective of an in-car conversation being hands-free, certain kinds of conversation can require a degree of thinking which significantly impairs driver awareness. I read also that the complexity of the in-car dashboard and entertainments are coming into sharp focus also: having a screen to distract from the road environment I understand is being recognised as a contribution to driver distraction.
They have done tests and compared phones to drunk drivers ability some years ago, as you say, part of the brain disappears to the conversation that is needed for driving. Doesn’t matter of its hands free, that seems a sop to the car makers.
I understand the NCAP are looking at making screen only a big mark down on safety tests. So to get the highest rating, buttons and dials.
Bad news for tesla…