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One-third of motorists believe their driving behaviour has improved in the past two years while eight out of ten say they feel safer on the roads, according to a new study.

The European road behaviour survey by Axa Insurance interviewed 800 drivers in nine countries. It reveals that road safety campaigns and increased law enforcement is having a positive impact on drivers across the island of Ireland with many motorists reporting that they were more aware of the dangers associated with driving.

Irish motorists showed greater awareness of road dangers such as speeding and going through amber lights and were also seen to expect greater penalties for traffic offenses than their European counterparts.

As many as 92 per cent of Irish drivers surveyed said they believed drink driving was dangerous, compared to an EU average of 78 per cent. In addition, 85 per cent of motorists stated that accident prevention is very important, as against 70 per cent for the EU average and just 50 per cent for drivers in Belgium and France.

While increased law enforcement is seen to have had a positive influence on driving behaviour, just 6 per cent of Irish drivers admitted to having been fined or have received penalty points in the past year compared to 24 per cent in Germany.

Moreover, twice as many Irish drivers admitted to answering the phone without a hands-free kit than British motorists.

Compared to the Irish population as a whole, young Irish drivers in the 18 to 24 years old category are more likely to be influenced by personal experiences of having been involved in collisions or knowing people who had been than road safety campaigns, the survey showed. Additionally, 82 per cent of young motorists said they were concerned about the possibility of getting points, compared to 67 per cent for other age groups.

Local differences are also apparent with 87 per cent of drivers in the north believing that provisional licence holders should not drive unaccompanied compared with 60 per cent in the south.
According to official figures, 279 people died on Irish roads in 2008, the lowest recorded number of deaths since records begun

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) welcomed the survey findings. However, it's chariman Noel Brett added that while attitudes and behaviour towards road safety is improving, there is no room for complacency.

"We must keep repeating life saving messages to ensure road safety is something we think about and act on every day," said Mr Brett.