Press release -
POST OFFICE MONEY REVEALS 2.5 MILLION ADULTS CAN’T READ A ROADMAP
As the October half term holidays begin and millions plan to pack up the car and take to the roads, research from Post Office Money Car Insurance reveals how the traditional road trip has evolved, leaving many drivers unprepared for their journeys.
Gone are the days of arguing over the roadmap, with one in five (20 per cent) leaving theirs to gather dust for over three years****. In fact, so many UK adults admit to being reliant on technology to get them from A to B that more than one in ten (15 per cent) have never used a road map – of which more than 2.5 million wouldn’t know how to. Roadmaps are particularly foreign to younger adults, with over a third (34 per cent) of people in their twenties having never used one and of which one in ten (11 per cent) are unsure of how to use one.
The demise of the roadmap might go some way to explaining why so many are unable to identify where some of the UK’s most well-known landmarks actually are; over eight million adults don’t know that Big Ben is located in London, and of those in their twenties nearly eight in ten (79 per cent) were unable to identify the counties of certain famous sites like Stonehenge and Leeds Castle.
When it comes to planning a road trip, a new checklist has emerged. The research revealed of those who have been on a long journey, people are now nearly three times more likely to prioritise sorting their music playlist (11 per cent) over checking their car insurance (four per cent). This is even more prevalent amongst people in their twenties who are almost twice as likely to stock up on food and drinks (41 per cent) in preparation for a long car journey, than they are to check the road worthiness of their car (28 per cent). In fact, creating a music playlist for the journey (21 per cent) holds similar importance.
Post Office Money Car Insurance also found that only one in four people in their twenties (28 per cent), who have been on a long car journey before, would prioritise checking the road worthiness of their vehicle before setting off, compared to more than half (54 per cent) of those aged 65 or over.
Rob Clarkson, Managing Director of Post Office Money Insurance, said “Our research found that as many as 10 million adults***** in the UK will take to the roads this year for a holiday. Therefore it is crucial that people take the time to plan ahead and ensure they have a safe journey. It is concerning that young adults don’t see checking the road worthiness of their car as a priority. This is essential for a long journey, and a valuable skill everyone should have, no matter how old they are.”
However, some things never change, especially when it comes to what people dread most about being on the road. Despite getting lost being one of people’s Top Ten dreads when they hit the roads, only half (51 per cent) of UK adults who have been on a long journey before plan their route before they leave.
| Top 10 Road Trip Dreads | % |
| Traffic | 57 per cent |
| Breaking down | 42 per cent |
| Lane hoggers/people driving in the wrong lane | 32 per cent |
| Needing the toilet | 28 per cent |
| Vans, lorries, caravans on the road | 26 per cent |
| Cost of petrol | 25 per cent |
| Getting lost | 23 per cent |
| Getting stuck behind slow drivers | 22 per cent |
| People who exceed the speed limit | 19 per cent |
| Motorways | 11 per cent |
Rob Clarkson said “With over three million people****** claiming on their car insurance while on a long car journey in the UK, it is critical that anyone planning on packing up the car and taking to the roads this year has made sure they are fully covered by their own car insurance. This should avoid any nasty surprises on the hard shoulder of the motorway.”
Post Office Money Car Insurance is available online, over the phone or in one of our thousands of branches across the UK, giving you peace of mind that should anything happen Post Office Money Car Insurance has you protected.
Ends
For more information, please contact:
Carmel McCarthy
Post Office Money Press Office
0207 250 2268
Carmel.mccarthy@postoffice.co.uk
Notes to editor:
*Opinium Research carried out an online survey of 2,004 UK adults aged 18+ from 29th to 30th July 2015. Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria. 15% of UK adults have never used a road map before. 15% x 50,509,000 (UK adult population) =7662044
**5% of UK adults have never used a road map and wouldn’t know how to use one. 5% x 50,509,000 (UK adult population) =2671634.
***17% of UK adults either selected an incorrect county or selected ‘don’t know’ when asked which county Big Ben is located in. 17% X 50,509,000 (UK adult population) = 8720616.
****Respondents were asked “When was the last time you used a roadmap?” and 20% answered “Over 3 years ago”
*****21% of UK adults plan to go on a long car journey this year to go on holiday with either their friends, partner, children or grandchildren. 21% x 50,509,000 (UK adult population) = 10585719
******7% of UK adults have had to claim on their car insurance due to going on a long car journey within the UK. 7% x 50,509,000 (UK adult population) = 3553777
Notes to editor:
About Post Office Money
Post Office Money, launched in January 2015, brings together all of Post Office’s multi-award winning financial products under one umbrella as it seeks to become one of the leading financial services providers by 2020. Post Office Money will be available at thousands of branches within Post Office’s network, as well as over the phone or online.
Bank of Ireland has supported customers in the UK for many decades and is the exclusive financial services partner to Post Office Money. Bank of Ireland primarily operates in the UK through its wholly owned and separately incorporated subsidiary Bank of Ireland (UK) plc, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Activities related to the Post Office Money partnership are conducted within this entity and as such, all retail deposits up to £85,000 with Post Office Money are protected under the UK’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme. At 31 December 2013, Bank of Ireland (UK) plc had a loan to deposit ratio of 86% with customer deposits of c. £21 billion utilised to fund customer lending of c. £18 billion (primarily comprising c. £13 billion of UK residential mortgages).
About the Post Office
The Post Office (Post Office Limited) has an unrivalled national network of over 11,500 branches across the UK, more than all the high street banks combined, and sits at the heart of communities in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. The Post Office has made a commitment to maintaining its network of branches at its current size and reach.
The Post Office serves over 17 million customers a week and a third of small businesses. Some 99.7% of the total population live within three miles of a post office and over 97% live with one mile of a post office. For many rural communities, the post office is the only retail outlet. Post Offices branches remain highly valued and trusted, and are the focal point of many communities. For more information, visit www.postoffice.co.uk.
It provides around 170 different products and services spanning financial services including savings, insurance, loans, mortgages and credit cards; Government services; telephony; foreign currency; travel insurance and mail services.
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About the Post Office
The Post Office (Post Office Limited) has an unrivalled national network of over 11,500 branches across the UK, more than all the high street banks combined, and sits at the heart of communities in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. The Post Office has made a commitment to maintaining its network of branches at its current size and reach. It provides around 170 different products and services spanning financial services including savings, insurance, loans, mortgages and credit cards; Government services; telephony; foreign currency; travel insurance and mail services.
The Post Office serves over 17 million customers a week and a third of small businesses. Some 99.7% of the total population live within three miles of a post office and over 97% live with one mile of a post office. For many rural communities, the post office is the only retail outlet. Post Offices branches remain highly valued and trusted, and are the focal point of many communities. For more information, visit http://www.postoffice.co.uk/.
Please note the Press Office team can only deal with enquiries from the media. Unfortunately they do not have access to customer information so can not help with customer enquiries.
If you have an enquiry regarding any Post Office product or service please visit postoffice.co.uk or call 0845 611 2970 Local call rates apply. Call costs may vary depending on your service provider. Calls may be monitored or recorded for training and compliance purposes.
