AA Motorists Panel August 2011 Results Summary14,793 responses
1. Following an initial proposal last October, the NRA has hired a team of consultants to devise plans for the potential introduction of eight new tolling points plus a multi point tolling system on the M50. If a new tolling point was introduced on your daily route to what extent would you agree/disagree with the following statements:
| Agree completely | Agree somewhat | Neutral | Disagree somewhat | Disagree completely | |
| I would make no changes to my regular commuting patterns | 13.3% | 11.3% | 7.3% | 22.5% | 46.2% |
| I would take an alternative route some of the time | 38.1% | 35.4% | 9.8% | 6.1% | 11.4% |
| I would take an alternative route most of the time | 40.9% | 25.4% | 12.4% | 10.3% | 11.5% |
| I would take an alternative route all of the time | 41.7% | 19.0% | 13.6% | 11.5% | 14.8% |
| I would consider car pooling to split the cost | 10.8% | 13.0% | 22.9% | 13.6% | 40.2% |
| Dosen’t apply to me | 35.8% | 4.8% | 29.6% | 4.5% | 27.8% |
2. Minister for Health and Children Dr James Reilly has said he wants to ban smoking in cars when children are present and hopes to bring forward legislation early next year. Please indicate below to what extent you agree/disagree that this should be the subject of legislation.
| Agree completely | Agree somewhat | Neutral | Disagree somewhat | Disagree completely | |
| Drivers should be banned from smoking when travelling with children. | 74.1% | 10.8% | 5.1% | 3.3% | 6.9% |
| Drivers should be banned from smoking when travelling with all passengers. | 51.4% | 14.1% | 9.7% | 8.6% | 16.6% |
| Smoking should be banned in cars full stop. | 34.2% | 8.6% | 13.4% | 10.5% | 33.6% |
| Smoking in cars is a private matter and should not be legislated. | 30.9% | 15.6% | 11.7% | 12.7% | 29.5% |
3. Do you smoke in your own car?
| Yes | 16.0% |
| No | 40.0% |
| Dosen’t apply to me | 43.9% |
4. How often within the last two years, if ever, have you knowingly travelled as a passenger in a vehicle where you knew/suspected the driver to be any of the following?
| Daily | Regularly | Seldom | Rarely | Never | |
| Over the legal blood alcohol limit. | 0.0% | 0.6% | 4.4% | 15.2% | 79.9% |
| Under the influence of illegal drugs. | 0.1% | 0.3% | 1.0% | 2.5% | 96.3% |
| Severely hungover. | 0.1% | 1.8% | 11.0% | 22.6% | 64.7% |
| Unfit to drive due to some other physical impairment. | 0.0% | 0.2% | 1.3% | 4.5% | 94.0% |
5. Within the last two years how often, if ever, have you run the risk of driving “the morning after the night before” whilst unsure whether your blood alcohol level had returned to within the legally permissible limit?
| Daily | 0.1% |
| Regularly | 2.3% |
| Seldom | 10.8% |
| Rarely | 32.4% |
| Never | 54.5% |
6. Within the last two years have you stopped on the motorway hard shoulder for any of the following reasons? (Select as many answers as apply)
| To switch drivers | 21.8% |
| To take a rest | 17.9% |
| To make/receive a mobile phone call | 44.6% |
| To send a text message/use a Smartphone | 18.0% |
| To pick up/drop off a passenger | 2.8% |
| To reprogramme a GPS device | 10.5% |
| To discipline a child | 5.8% |
| To allow someone to throw up | 11.6% |
| To look at a map | 18.3% |
| To investigate a dashboard warning light | 14.9% |
| To go to the toliet | 16.3% |
| To allow a child to go to the toliet | 16.6% |
| To clean your car | 0.7% |
| To change an item of clothing | 5.3% |
| Other | 15.4% |
7. Have you ever accidentally driven away from a petrol station forecourt having forgotten to pay for your fuel?
| Yes | 5.4% |
| No | 94.6% |
8. Were you doing any of the following at the time?
| Chatting on your mobile phone | 2.7% |
| Sending a text | 0.6% |
| Using the internet on your Smartphone | 0.3% |
| Talking to a passenger | 8.5% |
| Programming a SatNav | 0.3% |
| Checking a map | 1.4% |
| Other | 14.9% |
| None of the above | 71.3% |
9. Have you ever required a car you were driving/travelling in to be towed?
| Yes | 49.7% |
| No | 50.3% |
10.Who was the last tow you received provided by?
| The AA | 30.0% |
| A local garage | 23.4% |
| A friend or family member | 33.2% |
| Other | 13.5% |
11.How would you rate the service that you received?
| Excellent | 54.5% |
| Good | 33.3% |
| Average | 8.8% |
| Somewhat poor | 2.1% |
| Very poor | 1.2% |
12.A light hearted question about back seat driving. To what extent would you agree/disagree that you are a “back seat driver” when travelling with the following people?
| Agree completely | Agree somewhat | Neutral | Disagree somewhat | Disagree completely | |
| A driver I know to be inexperienced | 20.9% | 39.6% | 18.1% | 8.2% | 13.5% |
| Someone I would rate as a poor driver | 20.6% | 38.9% | 19.2% | 9.0% | 12.4% |
| My spouse/partner | 16.0% | 31.3% | 25.5% | 9.0% | 18.5% |
| One of my children | 9.2% | 18.8% | 44.7% | 5.8% | 21.8% |
| A parent | 7.9% | 22.0% | 35.0% | 9.5% | 25.9% |
| A sibling | 6.5% | 21.9% | 34.5% | 11.0% | 26.3% |
| My friends | 5.3% | 22.2% | 33.5% | 13.4% | 25.9% |
13. Have you ever driven in a country where they drive on the right hand side of the road?
| Yes | 68.0% |
| No | 32.0% |
14. How confident were you at the time?
| Very | 37.9% |
| Somewhat | 41.1% |
| Neutral | 6.3% |
| Not very | 12.6% |
| Not at all | 1.9% |
| Other | 0.2% |
15. How confident would you be at the prospect of driving in a country where they drive on the right hand side of the road?
| Very | 7.5% |
| Somewhat | 25.4% |
| Neutral | 8.2% |
| Not very | 32.3% |
| Not at all | 16.9% |
| It would depend on the location | 9.7% |
16. Have you booked professional driving lessons for yourself, your spouse, a child or grandchild within the last two years?
| Yes | 16.2% |
| No | 83.8% |
17. When booking those professional driving lessons how important/unimportant were the following factors?
| Very | Somewhat | Neutral | Not very | Not at all | Can’t remember | |
| Word-of-mouth/personal recommendation | 62.7% | 22.2% | 8.1% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 0.9% |
| Price | 37.8% | 40.0% | 14.1% | 5.4% | 2.6% | 0.3% |
| Pass rate of their past pupils | 41.2% | 30.5% | 18.9% | 5.0% | 3.5% | 1.3% |
| Location | 48.5% | 36.9% | 9.9% | 3.4% | 1.4% | 0.2% |
| Proximity to driving test route | 34.7% | 31.1% | 22.4% | 7.1% | 4.4% | 0.5% |
| Their experience as an instructor | 67.2% | 22.0% | 7.8% | 1.6% | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Their reputation | 72.3% | 20.1% | 5.4% | 1.3% | 0.7% | 0.4% |
| The instructor’s personality | 44.1% | 31.7% | 17.6% | 3.6% | 2.6% | 0.7% |
18. And now a question in relation to home security. As always you do not have to answer any questions that you do not wish to. When out gardening/relaxing in your garden and your house is vacant as a result, which of the following statements would typically apply in your case?
| I’ll make sure the house is 100% secure (incl. putting on the alarm) | 5.1% |
| I’ll lock the windows and doors but not put on the alarm. | 19.5% |
| I’ll lock the doors but not worry about much else. | 28.0% |
| I’ll very rarely lock up at all | 18.8% |
| I’ll never lock up | 21.4% |
| I don’t have a garden | 4.8% |
| Other. | 2.3% |
19. It has been announced that a household service charge of €100 p.a. will be introduced from January 2012 and will apply to 1.5 million households nationwide. Which of the following statements, if any, best describes your reaction to this new charge?
| I completely agree with it. | 7.5% |
| I somewhat agree with it. | 19.8% |
| Neutral. | 7.3% |
| I somewhat disagree with it. | 11.7% |
| I completely disagree with it. | 47.6% |
| I am undecided | 5.2% |
| Other. | 0.9% |
20. Are you a culture vulture or a beach bum when travelling/on holiday? Please select from the below answers as appropriate. When on holiday, I will make an effort to…
| Always | Regularly | Seldom | Rarely | Never | |
| Speak the local language | 17.5% | 34.6% | 26.7% | 13.0% | 8.4% |
| Eat mainly local cuisine | 23.2% | 53.2% | 15.1% | 6.3% | 2.3% |
| Do at least one cultural day trip | 40.5% | 38.7% | 13.2% | 5.8% | 2.1% |
| Venture off the main tourist thoroughfare | 33.8% | 40.7% | 17.3% | 5.6% | 2.8% |
| Talk to the locals | 26.7% | 42.9% | 22.1% | 7.1% | 1.6% |
| Swot up on local history before I go | 22.4% | 36.0% | 22.9% | 11.2% | 7.9% |
21. Have you ever had to abandon a holiday?
| Yes | 18.4% |
| No | 81.6% |
22. What was the reason you had to abandon your holiday?
| Unforseen illness | 33.5% |
| Unforseen injury | 5.2% |
| A funeral | 18.0% |
| Work commitments | 7.7% |
| Unforseen unemployment | 1.0% |
| I couldn’t afford to go | 4.1% |
| A falling out with my travel companion | 2.6% |
| Adverse weather conditions | 12.3% |
| Industrial action | 1.4% |
| Other | 14.1% |
23. When you abandoned your holiday did you have travel insurance cover in place?
| Yes | 59.1% |
| No | 27.2% |
| I can’t remember | 9.9% |
| Other | 3.8% |
