A frustrated 64% of drivers surveyed have been left waiting for 10 or more seconds.
Nearly half of the 2,498 drivers (46%) surveyed said it should take no more than three seconds to get going on green, with a third (35%) thinking between four and six seconds is a reasonable time.
Younger drivers more irritated by slow reactions at lights
Statistically speaking, those who get the most annoyed when others are slow to react to the lights turning green are male drivers aged between 17 and 34 with a huge 64% saying they get frustrated.
Men, generally, are more likely to be frustrated by other drivers who are slow to react to lights going green than women (50% v 41%).
It should only take three seconds to move off when traffic lights change to green – and anything longer is very likely to lead to anger and frustration for those behind waiting, particularly if they’re aged 44 or under.
While the overall level of frustration felt about drivers who are slow to move off when the lights change is evenly split with 46% saying they get annoyed and 54% saying it doesn’t bother them, the younger the driver the more likely they are to be irritated.
Drivers from Yorkshire and the Humber region are the most impatient in the UK with 55% confessing to getting annoyed by ‘slow coaches’ at traffic lights, compared drivers in Wales who are the most accepting with just 34% getting annoyed.
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “While three seconds is obviously a very short time, anything longer than this can start to seem like an eternity when you desperately want to get through a set of traffic lights and the person in front is taking forever to get going. When you think that some lights only stay green for 15 seconds, this severely limits the number of vehicles that can get through before red comes up again, and this in turn makes jams – and potentially even air pollution – worse.”
A quarter of drivers admit sounding their horn at slow drivers in front
New research commissioned by independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has revealed that one in four (25%) of the 1,000 drivers surveyed admitted they are likely to honk their horn at motorists driving too slow in front of them, while 20% said that they have sounded their horn at learner drivers.
The findings are in contrast to advice in the Highway Code, which states that drivers should only use their horn when warning someone of danger due to another vehicle, or to any other kind of danger —not to indicate annoyance.
Under the law, motorists mustn't use their horn while stationary or while driving in a built-up area between the hours of 11:30pm and 7:00am.
According to IAM RoadSmart, the police possess powers to issue fixed penalty notices (FPN) for these offences. If drivers object to the FPN, they can challenge the decision in court, but if magistrates agree with the police, they have the jurisdiction to increase the fine to up to £1,000.
A Freedom of Information request (FOI) to the Metropolitan Police revealed that prosecutions are reasonably low in London. Between 2015-2019, just 49 drivers were prosecuted for sounding their horn at night, or while stationary.
Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research at IAM RoadSmart, commented: “Most drivers know the rules of the road when it comes to wearing a seatbelt or using a mobile phone. However, some lesser-known wrong doings, such as inappropriately sounding your horn, can also lead to serious consequences such as fines. These fines will set motorists back financially in a time when many are seriously feeling the cost-of-living squeeze.
“Most importantly, not only are drivers running the risk of being faced with a hefty fine, but they could also be seriously risking their own, as well as other road users’ personal safety. Sounding your car’s horn aggressively or at an inappropriate time can seriously panic other road users, leading them to make rushed and risky decisions. You never know how another driver might react to such a challenge, so why risk confrontation on our already congested roads? So, rather than being eager to sound your horn, we would urge motorists to keep calm and motor on!”