We just love to cargue: narky british drivers argue every 23 minutes in the car

The car is a hotbed of frustration with a quarter of Brits coming to blows every 23 minutes, turning us into a nation of ‘Carguers’. 

In fact, one in three Brits have named the car as the most stress-filled spot outside of the home.

The research by Privilege Car Insurance found that we lose our cool in the car, with a quarter of people (23 per cent) arguing at least once every journey with their family. Even with the rise of sat-nav and online maps, it’s no surprise that navigation is the number one cause of friction in the car (26 per cent).

Further top ‘Carguments’ include back-seat drivers (22 per cent) other people’s driving (21 per cent), and having to go back for something (14 per cent). Climate control is another frosty issue for drivers, with nine per cent of those surveyed citing this as a common car quarrel. And whether it’s Beyoncé or Beethoven, one in 10 argue over music choice when in the car.

Women are most likely to argue over comments on their driving (27 per cent vs 18 per cent) whilst men get more irate about having to stop for the toilet (10 per cent vs five per cent). With all of this to contend with, it’s no wonder that a quarter of drivers (24 per cent) are firing the first shots and having an argument just five minutes into the car journey.

London is the Cargument capital of the UK with a staggering one in 10 having seven or more rows every hour, one every 8.5 minutes. The number one Cargument culprits are partners, with one in three drivers (30 per cent) citing them as the most annoying passenger. Parents don’t fare much better (13 per cent), with mums named the third most annoying car passenger.

Distracting Carguments have thrown people off course, with 16 per cent being so side-tracked, they went the wrong way. A further one in 10 were so peeved, they turned the car around and went back home, whilst one in fourteen stopped the car and told their passenger to get out. Shockingly, one in 10 millennials and six per cent of men have even gone so far as to break up with the person they were arguing with in the car

Aside from Carguments, the car is awash with nuisances, as 95 per cent of drivers admit to being annoyed whilst driving. Other top auto annoyances include passengers touching the handbrake or gear stick (54 per cent), pressing the horn (53 per cent), and rummaging through the glove compartment (37 per cent).

A quarter of Brits (25 per cent) believe passengers should ask permission before eating, whilst four in ten (39 per cent) think that eating messy food is a total no-no.

Charlotte Fielding, head of Privilege Car Insurance, said: “The car can be a high-pressured place for many as tensions overflow during a journey, especially over what can seem to be the more trivial things.

“At Privilege, we want our drivers to have a stress-free journey so that they themselves, their passengers and others on the road are as safe as possible. It takes high levels of concentration to drive safely which can make it easy to get irritated, so please think twice before rummaging in the glove compartment or offering driving tips from the back seat of the car!”

Top reasons for Carguments:

1. Directions (26%)

2. Back seat drivers (22%) 

3. Other people’s driving (21%)

4. Traffic (20%)

5. Forgetting something and needing to turn back (14%)

6. Kids misbehaving (13%)

7. Passengers distracting the driver (12%)

8. Other people’s speed (10%)

9. Temperature (9%)

10. Music (9%)

11. People making a mess (9%)

12. Other people’s bad parking (9%)

13. Driving speed (9%)

14. Needing to stop for the toilet (7%)

15. Passing wind (7%) 

Top things which passengers do that would annoy drivers:

1.    Touching the handbrake or gear stick (54%)

2.    Pressing the horn (53%)

3.    Litter (47%)

4.    Eating messy food (39%)

5.    Rummaging through the glove compartment (37%)

6.    Changing the music (36%)

7.    Getting in with muddy shoes (32%)

8.    Touching the satnav without permission (31%)

9.    Adjusting the aircon / heating (26%)

10.  Eating without asking first (25%)

ENDS

For more information, please contact: Georgie Bruer at Richmond & Towers: 

georgieb@rtc.london / 020 3179 0720

Notes to editors:

Research carried out amongst a nationally representative sample of 2000 UK adults by Opinium Research between 3^rd and 7^th May 2019.

Privilege

Privilege Insurance specialises in home insurance for homeowners and landlords. It also offers car insurance and breakdown cover by phone or on-line.

Privilege general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Privilege and UK Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.  

Customers can find out more about Privilege’s products or get a quote by calling

0345 246 0515 or visiting www.privilege.co.uk