Young South African drivers were quite reckless compared with their counterparts in Europe, tyre maker Goodyear’s third yearly Road Safety Survey revealed on Monday.

Goodyear probed the road behaviour of 6 400 drivers under the age of 25, with the survey covering 15 European markets, as well as South Africa.

According to the results, 83% of young South African drivers admitted they had sped up rather than slow down at an orange traffic light, compared with the global average of 73%.

Thirty-two per cent had accelerated on purpose when another driver tried to overtake (global: 22%); 38% admitted they had braked on purpose when a car behind was too close (global: 32%); and 48% said they had weaved from lane to lane in heavy traffic in order to save time (global: 28%).

Young South African drivers were also the most likely to get behind the wheel after having a few drinks for dinner, at 45% (global: 20%)

They also exhibited high levels of anxiety about breaking down in a bad part of town, or being hijacked, which Goodyear said might reflect the higher crime rate in the country.

Where, globally, 45% of young drivers worried about breaking down in an unsafe area, this statistic escalated to 78% of South African respondents.

Other concerns include being hit by another car, at 77% of respondents (global: 63%); suffering a sudden loss of tyre pressure or having a puncture, at 71% (global: 53%) and running out of petrol at 57% (global: 41%).

Just more than 70% of young drivers said that were afraid of being hijacked (global: 38%) and 5% declared they had been hijacked in the last two years. For this reason, 33% of young South African drivers carried some form of self-defense weapon in their vehicles.

Looking at all the nationalities who took part in the study, the Swedes topped the list of aggressive young drivers, while youngsters from Turkey, Spain and Italy were the least likely to display aggressive behaviour.

South African drivers were more aggressive than average and were the most likely to make obscene hand gestures.

The Goodyear’s survey also showed that gender stereotypes were alive and well on the road.

Globally, men were more aggressive than women and were more inclined to engage in dangerous behaviour, such as overtaking more than one vehicle at a time on a two-lane road (58% men compared with 42% women); deliberately accelerating when someone tried to overtake (25% versus 19%); and tailing a car closely and flashing lights to pass (22% versus 12%).

Interestingly, young drivers living on their own were more aggressive than those who still lived with their parents.

They were more likely to swear (73% versus 63%) or make obscene hand gestures (31% versus 25%).