A recent study has determined that motorists would rather drive alone when they are behind the wheel on the roads in the UK, as irritating passengers make driving too frustrating for them. The poll conducted by Continental Tyres questioned 4,000 motorists, and one particular item of note found that there seems to be a direct correlation between willingness to travel with passengers and the age of the driver. Older motorists are much more likely to drive alone, as the study showed drivers in their 50s are one-third more likely travel solo than motorists who are in their 20s.

Other information gleaned from the Continental Tyres study showed that during the average trip, passengers will irritate the driver three times, with the driver being prone to losing his or her temper within six minutes of setting off on a journey. A whopping 20 per cent of those questioned said that there have been some trips during which their passengers were so irksome that they asked them to get out of the vehicle.

The study divided irritating passengers into different categories, with the Fiddler, one who can’t keep their hands off the air conditioner, radio, and automatic window buttons, ranking high on the list of annoying travellers. The Backseat Driver, known around the world for telling drivers how they could improve their driving skills, ranked at the top of the list.