BRITAIN’S BORING ROADS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS

Britain’s motorists have declared the M6 the most boring road in Britain. Motorists have admitted that driving on dull roads for long periods has caused them to fall asleep because the sheer boredom has made them feel tired.

In the survey of 3,000 motorists by Cornhill Direct, 24 per cent of motorists admitted that they had either fallen asleep at the wheel or needed to take a break due to feeling tired on a boring road journey.

At least 40,000 serious injuries and nearly 3,500 deaths occurred on our roads last year with drowsiness considered to be a major cause. Road accidents caused by a sleeping driver are more likely to result in death and serious injury as the accidents occur at higher speeds because the driver fails to brake before the impact takes place.

Mark Bishop of Cornhill Direct said: “We would advise drivers to avoid making long trips on these roads, particularly between midnight and 6am.

“If a driver begins to feel drowsy, they should find a safe place to stop and if they can, have a cup of coffee. They should not start their journey again until they feel more alert.”

Motorists said that rather than stop, they resort to turning the music up really loudly to distract them when on a boring road. Others chat to fellow passengers, whilst a fifth either sing or start talking to themselves.

The M6 was voted as Britain’s most boring road. The motorway is the UK’s longest and busiest, stretching across a whopping 230 miles between Rugby and Carlisle.

Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan opened the first seven mile stretch of the M6 in 1958, which was first referred to as the Preston by-pass.

The motorway was also the first to get its own toll road in the West Midlands in 2003 to manage the 180,000 vehicles which passed through during rush hour, despite the road only having the capacity to hold 72,000. But despite this, it continues to be one of the worst roads for traffic jams, accidents and frequent hold-ups.

The poll revealed the A30 road between Devon and Cornwall as the next most tedious drive. Sometimes referred to as the Great South West Road, the carriageway is one of the only routes between the two southern holiday destinations, and proves to be 284 miles of bottlenecks during the summer months.

Third place was awarded to the M1, Britain’s very first motorway which can carry up to 150,000 cars on a daily basis – that’s 200 miles of congestion from start to finish. The circular M25 around London will be a familiar route to many commuters in the South East, and despite having four lanes to manage the clogged traffic, remains one of the busiest motorways daily, and takes fourth place in the poll.

Fifth place goes to the A74 road between Carlisle and Gretna, which regularly comes to a standstill due to traffic build up or accidents, largely because the road is the major route between Scotland and England.

Figures from the Loughborough University Sleep Research Centre reveal that driver sleepiness is thought to cause at least 10% of all road accidents.

TOP 10 MOST BORING ROADS IN BRITAIN*

1. M6, Britain’s longest and busiest motorway stretching over 230 miles between Rugby and Carlisle.
2. A30, bottleneck traffic through Devon and Cornwall.
3. M1, 200 miles of congestion between London and Hook Moor.
4. M25, one of Europe’s busiest motorways, carrying roughly 196,000 vehicles daily across its 117 miles.
5. A74 ‘The Cumberland Gap’, the six mile A road between Carlisle and Gretna frequently comes to a standstill as it is one of the only routes between Scotland and England.
6. M5, Southbound between junctions 15 and 24 can be particularly bad, there are regular hold ups due to traffic travelling out of Bristol and caravans on their way to Cornwall and Devon. Total 163 miles long.
7. A77, between Symington and Girvan in Ayrshire, the longest speed trap in the UK; there are 40 speed cameras over 29 miles.
8. M4, Eastbound between Slough and London, sheer volume of traffic going into London. 190 miles long from West Wales to London.
9. A34, stream of speed cameras between Bloxwitch and Cannock.
10. A303, the single carriageway near Andover and Stonehenge is a trap for caravans, it is also the main route from London to Stonehenge and Glastonbury festival.

ARTICLE BY CORNHILL INSURANCE

*The poll of 3,000 motorists by insurer Cornhill Direct was carried out during the first week of October 2006