Report says Top Gear 'glorifies speed'

1 June 2006

A report produced for the DfT has accused television programmes such as Top Gear of glorifying speed and aggressive driving.

The Respect On The Road report says the media needs to play a role in encouraging a more 'positive' influence on motorists.

Around 100 members of the public were interviewed individually and in groups for the study, which looked at different types of disrespect on the roads. It highlighted 'reactive disrespect' - a propensity to act in a more 'primal' way when in a car - as a particular problem.

The 'impression of security and anonymity' provided by a car means that feelings of impatience and aggression are given 'free rein' among motorists, it said. "If it is possible to change drivers' attitudes to what is normal and acceptable on the road, the influence of the people and media that inform these attitudes will play an important part in doing so," the report said.

Sources – LARSOA and Yahoo