Your opinions are important to help us develop campaigns
Road pricing, fuel prices, traffic congestion, road condition and road safety including young driver safety are just some of the issues that we must face up to as motorists.
We're keen to hear what you think, so the AA is working with leading market research company Populus* to get your views. We have established the biggest dedicated motoring opinion panel in Europe to help us understand AA Members' thoughts and opinions on the big transport issues as well as on some lighter topics.
Your opinions are the key to help us develop polices and campaigns on important transport issues.
Make your views on motoring count
This is your chance to join our AA-Populus Motoring Panel and help us to communicate your issues of concern to Government, parliament, local authorities and the media.
Every month we will send you a short online survey that shouldn't take more than 5 minutes or so to complete. Responses will be treated in confidence and we will publish an outline summary of the results every month on our website.
If you complete a survey you will automatically be entered into that month's prize draw to win £500.
We launched the AA-Populus Motoring Panel in 2008, since when more than 180,000 AA members have signed up to take part. Around 20,000 Members complete a survey every month making this the largest dedicated motoring opinion panel in Europe.
Surveys have covered a wide range of subjects - many of which we revisit from time to time to gauge how opinions change - from road pricing, young drivers, speed cameras and drink driving to parking, potholes, fuel prices and congestion.
We've asked the panel for campaign ideas and priorites too.
"I hope you can spare ten minutes or so each month to respond to the online survey. Your views will help the AA to understand what you see as the crucial transport issues and help us to communicate those concerns to government." Edmund King, AA President
Make your views on motoring count
*Populus (www.populus.co.uk) is a founder member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules
The results of our monthly AA-Populus Motoring Panel surveys frequently make the news on television, radio and in the press, both nationally and at a regional/local level.
Every month we publish a high level summary of the latest results so that those who take part can quickly see how their own views compare with the majority.
Below is a selection of AA press releases from previous years that featured survey results from the AA-Populus Motoring Panel.
Find more recent AA press releases featuring the results of AA-Populus Motoring Panel Surveys in the AA Newsroom.
Improving main roads would make the biggest contribution to reducing road deaths and injuries »
(March 2013)
A third of AA members have rated the overall surface condition of their local roads as poor, very poor or terrible »
(March 2013)
One in 10 strongly or somewhat believe that buying a new car with an ‘unlucky’ 13 next March is best avoided »
(February 2013)
Only 29% of AA members support congestion charging in cities »
(February 2013)
One in ten older drivers think the speed limit for cars on UK motorways is 80mph »
(January 2013)
6% still put themselves at risk by belting up only sometimes or most of the time »
(January 2013)
Half of all drivers would struggle with at least one part of the driving test if they had to re-sit it »
(January 2013)
81% say road condition has got worse in last three years »
(23 February 2011)
Driving songs - AA members choose 'bat out of hell' »
(11 February 2011)
fuel prices - only 7% consider writing to MP »
(31 January 2011)
2/3 resolved to park legally more often in 2011»
(26 January 2011)
Two-thirds expect to get 'ripped off' by garages »
(7 January 2011)
44% have done nothing to prepare for winter weather »
(16 December 2010)
The Greatest Inventions - flushing toilet and the car »
(15 December 2010)
'It's only down the road' - most popular drink driving excuse »
(4 November 2010)
Shock increase in support for speed cameras »
(4 November 2010)
1 in 5 AA members car shares regularly »
(4 October 2010)
A quarter have had shoe problems while driving »
(1 October 2010)
Supervising learner drivers »
(2 August 2010)
Should the government sell off the roads? »
(4 June 2010)
Make your views count
There were 21,510 responses to the April AA-Populus motoring panel survey between 15 and 19 April 2013.
More than a third (36%) had suffered windscreen damage in the past two years with the most likely damage being a stone chip. One in ten (11%) had had a stone chip repaired and one in twenty (5%) had had a windscreen renewed as a result of a stone chip.
Nearly one-fifth (19%) of young drivers between 18 and 24 forgo regular car servicing, choosing instead to get faults fixed only when they occur. This compares with only 4% of motorists over 65.
Overall almost one in ten have stretched service intervals a little (5%) or a lot (4%) to save a bit of cash. 3% have missed a service completely.
Overall, panel members seem to recognise and allow for the challenges associated with driving a heavy goods vehicle on Britain's roads with 89% agreeing that lorry drivers are not always able to see all other road users in their vicinity and 65% agreeing that it is the responsibility of other road users to keep out of the way when a lorry is manoeuvring - 86% say they hang back or allow extra room when there's a lorry nearby.
A lane change on a motorway or dual carriageway is the manoeuvre where most panel members have been involved in or seen an incident involving an HGV where the lorry driver could have been to blame (42%) or the car driver/other road user could have been to blame (33%).
As a result of rises in the price of petrol and diesel since 2007, almost one-third (30%) have made the conscious decision to travel less by car.
Over two-thirds (69%) of interviewees claimed that they have made general financial cutbacks, with 49% reducing spending on eating out, and 42% on entertainment.
Almost two-thirds (64%) indicated that they would be more likely to support an annual charge to use motorways if the Government Guaranteed that every pound raised through the charge would be fully offset by a pound reduction in motoring tax.
60% would be more likely to support an annual access charge if you wouldn't have to pay the charge if you didn't use the motorway network.
Almost all interviewees (92%) agreed that having no hard shoulder on a stretch of motorway will make it more difficult to deal with incidents.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) would be more nervous driving on a motorway without a hard shoulder.
Over a third (35%) of those surveyed were aged 17 or 18 when they got their first car, with nearly one in five (19%) describing their first car as 'an old banger with a bit of MOT and tax left on it'.
Nearly half (44%) kept their first car for 1-2 years, and were most likely(47%) to get rid of it simply because they wanted to upgrade to a better one.
There were 21,874 responses to the March 2013 AA-Populus motoring panel survey between 15 and 26 March 2013.
To mark the fifth anniversary of our partnership with Populus the March 2013 survey was bigger than normal to incorporate a comprehensive segmented snapshot of drivers’ attitudes and behaviours towards driving and motoring issues. The results will be published separately in a joint AA/Populus report later in the year.
A quarter of AA members surveyed (26%) plan to drive somewhere, for a holiday or an outing, over the East weekend (29 March to 1 April).
5% are going somewhere over the weekend but are not planning on driving.
A third (32%) are not sure whether they will go on a holiday or an outing over Easter weekend but if they do so expect to drive.
Just over a third (36%) do not plan to travel this Easter, rising to 43% among over 64s and 42% among Scottish respondents.
The vast majority of AA members surveyed (94%) do not plan to go abroad over the Easter weekend. 1% plan to go abroad by car and 3% plan to go abroad but not by car.
A quarter of respondents (24%) use motorways for at least a few journeys every week; 5% every day, 5% every workday and 14% for a few journeys every week.
A further 36% use motorways for a few journeys every month, while 37% use them only for a few trips every year.
2% never use motorways.
Only 14% of AA members surveyed have reported a pothole in the past, falling to 9% among 18 to 35s.
61% of respondents have seen bad potholes locally but not reported them.
22% say they would know how to report a pothole if they came across one in a road near to where they live, and 13% say they have seen information from their local authority describing their policy and approach to repairing potholes.
Nevertheless, 46% state they would report potholes if they had more information about how to do so.
There were 19,859 responses to the February 2013 AA-Populus Motoring panel survey between 14 and 22 February.
Thinking about the snow and ice in January, two fifths (40%) said that the road on which they lived was ‘like an ice rink’.
Half of respondents living in Scotland had their road gritted/cleared by their local authority. Whereas, a quarter (24%) of AA members from the South West of England said their local authority cleared their roads.
Only 4% said that the residents of their road worked together to help clear the road from ice and snow.
Only 2% said that their car was the most important factor determining their current quality of life while just under half (46%) ranked their relationship as the most important factor.
However, half (50%) said that without their car, their life would be boring and 67% agreed they would be devastated if they lost their car.
Half of respondents were concerned about violent crime in their life, whereas 39% were concerned about pollution in the environment, a third (35%) about road traffic accidents and 29% about traffic congestion.
Almost two-thirds (63%) said a total ban on drinking and driving would reduce road traffic accidents and under half (43%) believed reducing the speed limit in residential and shopping areas to 20mph would be most effective.
83% agreed that stronger discipline in the training of drivers and young pedestrians was a sensible measure to ensure road safety while half (51%) were against the instalment of road humps to slow vehicles.
Two-thirds (68%) were in favour more stringent driving tests.
Less than half (43%) agreed that drivers should be retested after the age of 65.
A third (35%) agreed drugs posed the greatest risk to the safety of teenagers as opposed to drinking (28%) and driving (15%).
Over half (55%) of drivers said that they always checked that their passengers had their seatbelts fastened and 88% stated that they never left their own seatbelt unfastened for short journeys.
8% said that they ride a motorbike, with men being more likely to do so (10% compared to 3% for women).
Out of those who said they ride a motorbike, more than two-thirds (71%) of those that ride said they do so for pleasure, whereas 13% said they regularly use their motorbike for commuting to work.
Of those who had bought a used car in the last 3 years, 65% said that it was a completely trouble free experience and just under half (46%) said they would recommend the dealer to others.
There were 22,827 responses to the January 2013 AA-Populus Motoring panel survey between 21 and 25 January.
The vast majority of the AA members interviewed (92%) think that the national speed limit for cars and car derived vans on UK motorways is 70 mph. Respondents are less confident about the national speed limit on single and dual carriageway roads - only three in five (61%) believe the speed limit on a single carriageway is 60mph.
Most (96%) would assume the speed limit to be 30mph if driving in a ‘built-up’ residential area or on a city centre road with street lamps
Half (49%) of motorists say the risk of death or injury on roads is their greatest motoring concern and a third (31%) worry most about the cost of motoring.
Few are concerned by the environmental impact of motoring; only 3% cite this as their greatest concern and 58% say it is the motoring issue they are least concerned about.
Over half (53%) of the AA members surveyed oppose congestion charging schemes in large conurbations and cities and a third (33%) strongly oppose these schemes.
A quarter (26%) would support a congestion charging scheme in their nearest large conurbation if they were given the chance to take part in a referendum.
Three-in-five (62%) are aware that winter tyres are specifically designed to perform when temperatures are below 7C.
A quarter (27%) of respondents are not interested in fitting winter tyres while 4% have been using winter tyres for several years.
Over half (54%) of the AA members interviewed have a full-size spare wheel in the boot of their car and 29% carry a skinny or temporary use spare wheel in their car. One-in-ten (9%) have tyre sealant or an inflation kit in the boot of their car.
46% of respondents support the abolition of the paper tax disc in principle; half of whom strongly support it (22%).
Half (50%) think the average fuel consumption is about the same as what they expected when they bought their car but 14% say that it is better.
A quarter (25%) think that the average fuel consumption of their car is worse than what they were told when they purchased the car.
On average, respondents rate the condition of the roads close to where they live as 4.65 on a scale of 0 to 10, (where 0 is terrible and 10 is excellent).
Half (50%) of the respondents think the roads close to where they live are worse, in terms of surfaces and potholes, compared to this time last year.
A third (rising to 44% of motorists in Scotland) have experienced damage to their vehicle caused by a pothole.
One-in-ten (10%) say a pothole caused damage to their wheel, tyre and tracking in the last two years.
The majority of respondents (91%) have no points on their driving license but 8% admit to currently having 3 points.
Almost three quarters (70%) of the AA members surveyed have had a romantic encounter in a car. Two-in-five (39%) have gone for a romantic drive and 3% have proposed or been proposed to in a car.
Three quarters (72%) of respondents think that making road and junction improvements to remove accident black spots would do the most to make our roads safer.
There were 17,883 responses to the December 2012 survey which was open from 14 to 20 December 2012.
This is only a very brief summary of the results from the latest AA-Populus Motoring Panel survey. Look out for more detailed results in the news.
42% of members say they won't be changing their car in the next 12 months. Of those who will be, half will be looking for a more fuel efficient model.
Car reliability and safety are the most important factors when looking for another car. Low repair and running costs score highly too.
Speed and style were much less important in buyer’s minds.
Nine out of ten thought it a good idea for insurance companies to check DVLA’s driving licence record when a customer makes an insurance application if it cuts down fraud.
22% object to insurance companies being given driving licence details and two thirds are worried about their data being used for other purposes.
84% thought greater transparency of driving licence records was necessary because some people give false information to insurance companies.
There is a very high level of support for seatbelt wearing with 95% of members thinking that front seat belt legislation has been effective at reducing UK road deaths.
50% very rarely see other drivers not wearing a seat belt.
The survey asked members to highlight aspects of the driving test they would expect to struggle with if they had to re-take their test. Reverse parking was the most common with one in five members naming this as the hardest.
Half actually think that no aspects of the practical driving test would pose a problem.
More than 80% of members are 'generally happy'.
For a quarter of members, the cost of motoring is most likely to make them unhappy in their day to day life, while another quarter say traffic congestion is the most likely day-to-day problem to make them unhappy.
Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
If you have comment or question relating directly to AA campaigns and motoring policy then feel free to email the motoring policy team at publicaffairs@theaa.com
