West Midlands named as one of the most hostile places to learn to drive

A new campaign delving into the issue of abuse directed at learner drivers has revealed the regions where learners are most likely to face hostility from other road users.  

The report by learner driver insurers, Marmalade, found the South East to be the most hostile region for learner drivers in the UK, with 81.71% of learners reporting being abused on the roads at least once. 

In fact, more than two thirds of learners across every region of the UK have been intimidated or abused on UK roads. 

The survey of 1,000 learner drivers and over 400 driving instructors revealed that abuse towards learners is on the rise with 29% being reduced to tears due to the actions of other road users. While findings also revealed one in 10 learners experience abuse every time they get in the car in London and those in the East and West Midlands also suffer frequent disputes during lessons with 6% of learners in both regions noting abuse and intimidation by other drivers each time they drive.  

Here’s a breakdown of UK regions and the percentage of learners that say they’ve experienced on the road abuse at least once: 

Off the back of the findings, Marmalade is petitioning to enforce harsher penalties on those who abuse learner drivers and instructors, with the petition topping 10,000 signatures so far.

Commenting on the research and the launch of a UK Government petition, managing director of Marmalade, Paul Baxter said: “While it's great that our research has found Northern Ireland and the North of England to be safe places for learners to practise, the trend across the whole UK paints a more worrying picture. 

“This issue means a lot to us and is something we feel incredibly passionate about. It’s something that impacts the majority of our customer base which means we have a responsibility to help. That’s why we’re calling on the Government to do more to prevent on-road bullying of learners by introducing measures to impose stronger sentences on drivers who drive carelessly or dangerously around learner drivers.

“Everyone who drives has been a learner before, so they should be able to empathise with the struggles of learner drivers and feel compelled to help by signing the petition.” In contrast, learner drivers are safest on the roads in Northern Ireland, with a third (28%) claiming they have never experienced any hostility from other road users.

The North of England was also found to be a welcoming place for those getting to grips with roundabouts and hill starts. More than 20% of learners based in the North East, North West and Yorkshire & the Humber have never experienced abuse or intimidation during a driving lesson.