A report by GreenRoad has revealed some startling statistics on road safety and fuel-efficient driving. GreenRoad’s statistics are based on over 5 billion miles travelled by more than 70,000 drivers across the world in 2012.
The participants in GreenRoad’s research were provided with in-car technology that would provide drivers with real-time feedback on every trip and every mile. Managers were given access to this information so they could see whether fuel-efficient driving is taking place.
GreenRoad would score the past 10 hours driving in a vehicle. A score of 20 or below is considered safe and fuel-efficient driving. Anything between 21 and 50 not considered to be fuel efficient driving and moderately risky. A driver with a score over 50 is consuming significant amounts of fuel and considered risky.
In 2012, the average score was 21; this is down significantly from 29 in 2010. Furthermore, GreenRoad has said that the average score for experienced drivers is 17, while the average score for new drivers is 22. However, when drivers don’t know their driving performance is being monitored, some can even reach scores as high as 50.
The scores are based on driving performance in five key categories:
- Corner Handling
- Acceleration
- Braking
- Lane Handling
- Speeding
Of these GreenRoad have found that braking too hard to be the most common factor leading to a higher score. This was closely followed by taking corners too sharply, not being in the correct lane for your manoeuvre, accelerating too hard and driving over the speed limit.
The data from GreenRoad has also revealed that the safest month to drive is December, closely followed by November, October and August. March is considered the most dangerous month for driving, followed by April, January and February. The statistics also showed that between 1am – 4am was the safest time to drive, whereas between 11pm and midnight was the most dangerous.