Easytrip, Ireland’s leading platform for on-the-road payments and solutions, has unearthed Irish motorist’s ideal road trip passenger and travel habits ahead of the St Patrick’s Day bank holiday weekend as part of its latest research. Of those surveyed* more than half (51%) were planning to take to the roads around Ireland over the bank holiday, with the most popular destinations revealed as Cork, Galway, Kerry, Donegal and Wexford.

Dream road trip passenger

When respondents were asked who the dream road trip passenger would be, sportspeople came out on top, closely followed by other famous Irish faces:

1. Shane Lowry
2. Johnny Sexton
3. Claire Byrne
4. Michael D Higgins
5. Cillian Murphy

Annoying driving habits

Sharing the road on long journeys can come with challenges, such as the annoying driving habits of other motorists and this played an important part in the survey. Unsurprisingly, as with previous Easytrip research, the number one was the use of mobile phones, with the top five infuriating behaviours unveiled as:

1. Use of mobile phone
2. Not indicating
3. Tailgating
4. Driving too slow
5. Throwing rubbish out the car window

Must-have travel items

Respondents were asked about the must-have travel items to bring in the car on road trips and leading the list was a USB car charger for devices. This was followed by creating a pre-planned map route and music playlist, along with plenty of snacks for the road.

EV charging habits

Electric vehicle (EV) drivers are familiar with making pit stops to recharge when taking a car journey and respondents to the Easytrip survey, who were EV drivers, were asked what they do while charging their vehicle – revealing the top three as being:

1. Grab a coffee / snack
2. Get some fresh air
3. Listen to audio (radio or podcast)

Colin Delaney CEO of Easytrip said: “Heading away for the bank holiday weekend is all about the company and planning ahead and it’s great to see so many Irish faces toping our dream passenger poll.  While many of the findings of this research are light-hearted, the prevalent use of mobile phone use while driving continues to feature as an annoyance for motorists in our surveys. Given that 61,793** notices of offence were issued in the month of January alone this year, we encourage those taking to the roads this bank holiday weekend to put their phones down. Likewise make sure you prepare with a car check before you hit the road, take your time, enjoy the journey, and ensure you have breakdown assistance for that added peace of mind in the event of any incident occurring.”

Easytrip services include breakdown assistance, car wash, parking, puncture repair and motorway tolling. Customers can add breakdown assistance for €3.99 per month to their Easytrip account and puncture protection for €19.95 per annum. The Easytrip tag saves motorists €1.20 on the M50 toll fees. Visit www.easytrip.ie, download the Easytrip App or call 1890 67 67 68 for more information.