Everyone has their own driving dreads, whether it’s something that affects them on the daily commute or just worries they have when driving in an unknown area. Being caught by speed cameras, stuck behind cyclists and confusing one-way systems are just some of them. These aspects make up some of Britain’s worst drives, but at HPI Check we wanted to know what some of the worst ones really are. We conducted research to discover what the most common driving worries are and where worst drives in the UK are situated.

The UK’s Top Driving Worries
When driving in a new city, the most common worry by a long way was one-way systems. Over 60% of respondents put this down as one of their worries, compared to the second largest fear of bus and taxi lanes, which around 38% of drivers claimed to be a big worry. At the other end of the scale, just 17% said they were bothered by potholes and about 25% said cyclists caused their main concerns.
From the respondents who listed all their driving dreads when in a new city, the top five driving worries are:

1. One way systems – 62.2%
2. Bus/taxi lanes – 38.2%
3. Road closures – 36.6%
4. Speed cameras – 33%
5. Roundabouts – 26.6%

Driving Dreads Around the UK
There were differences between the most common worries when driving in a new city across different regions. Most of the regional driving worries can be traced to the layout and driving situation in that area.
For example, in Leeds the biggest worry was one-way systems as mentioned by 68% of respondents, compared to the second highest of bus/taxi lanes that 52% of drivers pointed out. A major reason for this could be that Leeds itself has a large, two-mile one-way system around the centre that features 18 junctions, so drivers will be aware of the struggles it can bring.
Manchester however put road closures as one of their biggest worries. Which could be related to the fact that in August 2017 alone the city experienced 19 road and lane closures due to works and maintenance. Similar is true in Newcastle, where nearly 42% said bus/taxi lanes were their main worry. In 2016, 62,975 motorists were caught driving in the bus or taxi lanes and Newcastle Council made £2.8 million in fines from two city centre bus lanes alone.
Even in the capital city, 47% of London drivers point to speed cameras being a major worry when driving in a new city. It’s little surprise when London is home to one speed camera which caught and generated £1.5 million in fines over just six months. Getting a speeding fine in your local area is bad, but doing so in unfamiliar territory can be even worse.
What are Some of Britain’s Worst Drives?
All of the above elements make up many driving frustrations and can be found within some of Britain’s worst drives. After reaching out to the public with suggestions for the roads people hate driving on in the UK, it was mostly motorways and A roads that kept cropping up. The M1, M25 around London and M8 near Glasgow were all suggested, with road works, speed restrictions and traffic congestions the major frustrations.
On other roads, such as the A17, it was the fact that it’s a single lane with few overtaking points but plenty of slow drivers holding others up. Then where there are overtaking points speed cameras seem to appear.
Do you agree or what do you think represents Britain’s worst drives?