A spike in collisions suggests B.C. drivers are getting worse, and according to a newly released poll, those same drivers may not realize their bad habits are to blame.
The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia released the results of a survey Thursday that found that 99 per cent of all people polled felt they were good or excellent drivers.
The survey, conducted by Insights West for ICBC, suggested that about half of drivers said driving is harder now than it was five years ago. In the Lower Mainland, 57 per cent agreed that driving is more difficult, compared to the provincial average of 46 per cent.
In addition, 58 per cent said drivers are less skilled than they were five years ago, and fewer than half of those polled said they felt that driving is generally safe.
Still, the majority said they were good drivers, and scored themselves high in safety, attentiveness, knowledge, courteousness, confidence and skill.
When asked road test questions, however, nearly eight in 10 got at least one answer wrong. A fifth admitted to being aggressive, and one-third felt it was OK to "bend the rules" of the road once in a while if other drivers aren't around.
More than a third also said they might not follow rules when trying to make up time on the road. Nearly all respondents (99 per cent) admitted to having driven in an emotional state.
The results are based on an online study conducted over a week in February among 1,126 drivers in B.C. aged 21 and up. Insights West says the data is considered accurate within 2.9 per cent, 19 times out of 20. A full breakdown of the results is available online.
The survey was conducted ahead of a safety campaign ICBC launched at the same time as releasing the results. ICBC said the corporation has seen a marked increase in crashes in the last three years. There were approximately 260,000 reported crashes in 2013 – an average of 712 per day. Last year, the number of crashes was up 23 per cent to 320,000, or about 875 per day.
The latest data from Statistics Canada suggests there were more than 3.6 million vehicles registered in British Columbia last year.
While an unusually snowy winter is likely partially to blame for the uptick, ICBC said bad driving behaviour remains among the top contributors to road problems.
ICBC has launched a campaign including ads, public outreach and online resources, all aimed at educating drivers on how to stay safe.
As part of the campaign, the organization has posted an online quiz meant to help show drivers what areas they may need to work on: knowledge, behaviour or attitude.
The quiz is 12 questions, ranging from the purpose of speed limits ("Meant to keep you safe.") to what to do if you bump a parked car ("Leave a note on the windshield with my name, phone number and plate number.")
With a report from CTV Vancouver's St. John Alexander
