Beating Stress on a Great British holiday

With Brexit expected to drive a boom in British staycations in 2020, thousands of UK holidaymakers are expected to opt for a Great British getaway in the New Year. However, as 40% of Brits admit to being stressed out by driving in new areas on UK getaways, all-round automotive experts, Protyre, have crunched the numbers from the Office of National Statistics to reveal which Great British holiday destinations are the least stressful to drive in.

By analysing location data for the country’s most popular staycation destinations* on road conditions, the number of accidents and the proportion of licenses that are provisional or have three or more penalty points, the results suggest that Cambridge, Devon’s Brixham, the Peak District’s Bakewell and sunny Southend-on-Sea in Essex are among the least stressful holiday hotspots to drive in.

Cambridge has the fewest bad drivers

From using their phone while driving to tailgating and not signaling, the behaviour of other drivers make up the top ten most common annoyances of British motorists. However according to the data on driving licenses (with three or more penalty points), holidaymakers who want to avoid dangerous drivers could be best off visiting the idyllic city of Cambridge. The famed university city, steeped in history, has the lowest proportion of licenses with three penalty points or more. Alternatively, holidaymakers could head for the sunny South Coast in either Falmouth (which came in second), Brighton (third) or Bognor Regis (fourth). Cromer, Bournemouth, Skegness and Whitby had the highest proportion of licenses with three or more penalty points.

Devon’s Brixham has the least number of accidents

Whether a dink or more serious collision, when it comes to road accidents, the sleepy fishing village of Brixham in Torbay has the fewest. Also among the least accident prone UK holiday destinations are the resort towns of Southend-on-Sea and Blackpool, which came in second and third respectively. The counties of Lincolnshire, West Sussex and Norfolk had the highest number of accidents of the most popular UK holiday destinations.

The Peak District’s Bakewell has the fewest learners

We have all been a learner, but never seem to have the patience when we’re behind one. Those looking to avoid being stuck behind one may want to visit the quaint market town of Bakewell in the Peak District. Bakewell is closely followed by the seaside towns of Southwold in Suffolk (second), Hunstanton in Norfolk (third) and Whitby in Yorkshire (fourth). According to the Office of National Statistic’s license data, these towns have the fewest learners of all the holiday hotspots. Oxford, Brighton, Blackpool and Southend-on-Sea had the highest proportion of provisional licenses.

Southend-on-Sea, Newquay and Falmouth are pothole-less havens    

Poor road conditions can have a big impact on driving experience; so much so that 57% of British motorists rate potholes as the thing they most hate about UK roads. Holidaymakers looking to avoid them might want to consider a break on the coast, as Southend-on-Sea, Newquay and Falmouth have fewest roads in need of repair. Blackpool and Brighton had the greatest number of roads recommended for maintenance.

Brixham in Devon comes top for least stressful driving

When road conditions, accidents, the proportion of provisional licenses and licenses with three or more penalty points are taken into account, the data indicates that Brixham in Devon may be the least stressful place to drive. However, Brixham is shortly followed by Bakewell, Falmouth, Newquay and Cheltenham, and the least stressful place to drive will depend on the individual driver and their preferences. Motorists most concerned about the bad driving of others may want to try Cambridge. Road users most stressed by learner drivers could instead opt for the Peak District and those most aggrieved by potholes might want to head for Southend-on-Sea, Newquay of Falmouth on the South Coast.

Protyre’s National Retail Operations Manager, David Sholicar, comments: “There are a great many things that can add to the stress of a road trip. Traffic, road conditions and other drivers’ behaviour are not things within our control. Making sure that our car is ready and safe for such a trip is. Our advice is to ensure you have given your car a proper once over. Our help and advice section on Protyre.co.uk can provide tips on how to do this or you can visit anyone of our garages to have a free check.”