Drivers quick to blame others

Threequarters of all drivers involved in road accidents believe that their crash was someone else's fault, according to new research by the AA.

Dr Wyn Hughes, who carried out the survey, said that if drivers could recognise their own failings, the number of accidents could be reduced.

Dr Hughes, a transport researcher for Cambridge County Council studied 800 accidents on single carriageway "A" roads in Cambridgeshire.

He found that four out of five drivers involved in the accidents were men, though women make up 37 per cent of all drivers.

Wide open roads recommended by the Department of Transport were found to be more dangerous than ones where there are bends.

The research suggests that there are 50 per cent more accidents on roads where drivers can see 580 metres ahead - the Department's standard for good visibility.

The studyfound no simple association between traffic density and the accident rate. It also dispelled some myths about driving on country roads.

Tractors and agricultural equipment were rarely found to be the cause of accidents. And all, but 2 per cent of drivers involved in accidents in rural areas were local people familiar with the roads. Indeed, it seems that those who do not know smaller roads so well exercise more caution when using them.