Revealed: Which state has Australia's most hated drivers
The recent survey of over 2,000 Australians, collected by the family location-tracking app Life360, highlights a common sentiment across the nation when it comes to Australia's driving habits: 'it's not me, it's you'.
A whopping 89 per cent of Australian drivers are confident in their driving abilities, and yet only 7 per cent trust other drivers on the road.
According to Australian motor racing driver and defensive driving instructor Paul Morris, a dangerous disconnect exists between how Aussie drivers perceive their skills and their actual behaviour on the road.
'As Aussies, we are all here for a bit of healthy competition. However, the gap between how we see ourselves compared to other drivers and how we actually behave on the road is where accidents can happen.'
Nearly half (43 per cent) of Aussies admit to judging others solely based on their number plates, and New South Wales drivers bear the brunt of this judgment.
According to Life360, drivers judge other drivers based on their number plates. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer
MORE: China ups ante in Aussie turf war
While it may or may not be a surprise depending on who you ask, 51 per cent of Aussies noted New South Wales drivers as aggressive. Additionally, 47 per cent consider them to be habitual speeders, and 37 per cent view them as inconsiderate.
Not far behind, Victorian drivers were labelled serial ignorers of road rules, with 36 per cent of those surveyed accusing them of tailgating, while 35 per cent pointed to distracted driving as a common issue among them.
Perhaps the harshest verdict was reserved for Queensland drivers.
Over a quarter of respondents (27 per cent) simply declared them the worst drivers overall, offering no specific complaints – just a general sense of disapproval.
The nation's worst drivers according to Aussies themselves. (Picture: Life360)
Plenty of Aussies enjoying getting on the horn. Picture: Gettry
However, according to Life360, Aussies may be steering the blame in the wrong direction.
The platform data suggests ACT is guilty of the riskiest road use.
The app recorded the highest rates of bad habits such as phone use, rapid acceleration and hard braking in the capital, with 4.6 per cent of all drives over the past seven weeks flagged for unsafe road behaviour — surpassing NSW (4.3 per cent), VIC (4.2 per cent), and QLD (4.1 per cent).
'At the end of the day, most of us think we're good drivers but the data doesn't lie,' says Paul Morris.
'No matter if it's fuelled by state rivalries or a bit of backseat banter, there's always room to improve.'
MORE: 'Can't speak': Confusion grows over car prices
The nation's riskiest drivers according to Life360 data. (Picture: Life360)
And that caution might be warranted.
While 82 per cent of Australians consider themselves careful drivers — and nearly half (47%) claim they never speed — Life360 data paints a different picture.
Over just seven weeks, the platform recorded more than 81,000 speeding incidents and over 547,000 cases of hard braking across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
And when it comes to what irritates Austrian drivers the most, over a quarter admit that they are annoyed by other drivers most of the time.
Most common road rage reactions. (Picture: Life360)
Driving habits that grind Aussies' gears (Picture: Life360)
MORE: 'Jet on wheels': Luxury van's insane cost
The most aggravating behaviour is tailgating, with 42 per cent of Australians often frustrated by it. This is followed by failing to indicate at 39 per cent, speeding at 31 per cent and using a phone while driving at 28 per cent.
Ultimately, Paul Morris is advocating for safer and more responsible driving practices among Australians.
'Life360's data – and Aussie opinions – make one thing clear: we've all got some work to do behind the wheel, because confidence is great but complacency, not so much,' Paul Morris says.
James Chung
Digital Content Creator
James is a Digital Content Creator at news.com.au and is part of the News Corp Australia's digital real estate team. His previous experience includes working for Sky News Australia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
ATO chases $56 billion in tax debt
As the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) chases $56 billion in tax debt owed by small businesses and individuals, victims of fraud and financial abuse have been caught in the firing line.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Woman dies after stabbing in Coleraine, south-west Victoria
A woman has been stabbed to death in south-west Victoria. Police officers were called to Pilleau Street in Coleraine, nearly four hours west of Melbourne, to reports a woman had been stabbed, at about 1:10am on Saturday. Officers found the injured woman, who died at the scene. Police said a man, who was known to the woman, was arrested. Homicide detectives will investigate.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
WA local government minister hails beefed-up laws as biggest reform in sector for 25 years
If keeping up to date with what your local council is doing isn't that high on your to-do list, you're probably not alone. The often mundane cogs of local government turn without much scrutiny, because the vast majority function as they should. But if the recent string of council dramas across Perth has taught us anything, it's that we need to look a lot closer. The state government is watching, and is unapologetic about plans to beef up its powers to intervene. But tinkering with other branches of democracy can put governments on dangerous ground. Who can forget former Liberal premier Colin Barnett being forced to wave the white flag after attempting to slash the number of Perth councils in half back in 2015, not long before he left office for good. It's a lesson Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley is likely to be keeping front of mind. There's no hiding how ticked off Ms Beazley has been with Nedlands council. What started off as a spot fire of dysfunction turned into raging flames of controversy. "It's been incredibly frustrating," she told Stateline. While she describes it as an outlier, there are clear recent examples of dysfunction gripping other councils. As recently as April, a commissioner had to be brought in to run the Shire of Derby/West Kimberley after five council members resigned. In Port Hedland, councillors have been walking out the door amid allegations of "extreme views" — including one councillor who made national headlines praising Russia's elections as the most "transparent" in the world and congratulating Vladimir Putin. And who can forget the "soap opera" saga of the City of Perth? That culminated in the sacking of the entire council back in 2018 amid backbiting and a Corruption and Crime Commission finding that former lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi "signally failed in her duties … by not disclosing gifts and contributions to travel" she received while in her role. Ms Beazley said she would have preferred to act sooner on Nedlands, but the Local Government Act proscribes clear limits on the minister's power. But she is hopeful law changes passed late last year, which she describes as the "biggest reform to the sector in 25 years", will ensure earlier intervention is possible. Among many things, they will see the establishment of a new local government inspector to oversee WA's 137 local governments. The inspector will have broad powers to investigate allegations of bad behaviour, reminiscent of those wielded by the state's corruption watchdog or those tasked with independently investigating the state's prison sector. The new inspector will be able to demand someone appear and give evidence, produce documents and information, and enter local government property without a warrant. But when it comes to broader reform, Ms Beazley is not planning on taking a leaf out of the Liberal playbook under Colin Barnett. "I'm not going to go down the route of forcibly merging local governments, as what happened in the previous government," Ms Beazley said. However, she said she would be open to "boundary adjustments" in the case of councils facing financial viability issues. The premier is also on the record saying while he thinks there are too many local governments in WA, the "system that we have is what it is" and it's not his policy to try to slash that number. Perhaps the best way to ensure the viability of this often unloved branch of democracy is for us to all pay more attention, and not just when local councils hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
