Four out of five Scots don’t know driving offences

Nearly half of Scots drivers admit they have broken the law in one form or another whilst at the wheel.

GoCompare surveyed 2,000 UK adults to find out how much they know about current driving laws, and how guilty we are as a nation of committing offences at the wheel.

It seems most drivers believe that the law is on the side of rude or otherwise antisocial drivers.

72% of participants in Scotland believe that making rude gestures to other road users are perfectly legal and 81% believe it is okay to beep the horn because the lights are green and the driver in front of you isn’t moving.

81% of the participants we surveyed in Scotland believed that beeping while stationary in traffic is perfectly legal. However, in fact, a driver beeping the horn while their vehicle is stationary (and not in a time of danger) is subject to a fine of up to £1,000.

83% of the participants in Scotland believed that playing excessively loud music in your car couldn’t result in a fine when in reality it could cost you up to £100.

Additionally more than half of the participants from Scotland don’t think the following are offences

Here we list offences and the Scottish participants who didn’t think this was an offence:

• Flashing your lights to warn other drivers of a speed trap, 66%.
• Eating while driving, 60%.
• Changing a CD while driving, 66%.
• Driving with snow on your vehicle’s roof, 60%.
• Driving through puddles and splashing pedestrians, 68%.
• Swearing or making rude gestures to other road users, 72%.
• Driving with a dog in the passenger seat, 71%.
• Driving over a painted mini-roundabout, 60%.

44% of participants admitted to eating at the wheel which, while not directly illegal, can result in a fine of £100 for driving without due care and attention, and more than a third (36%) of the drivers we quizzed have driven with snow on their vehicle’s roof, more than any other region in the UK.

Here are the top five most commonly committed offences in Scotland:

• Eating while driving has been committed by 44% of participants
• Beeped the horn while stationary in traffic, 36%
• Driven with snow on vehicle’s roof, 36%
• Flashed lights to warn other drivers of a speed trap, 26%
• Played excessively loud music from a car, 24%

Find out more about the survey HERE.