Driver survey: Name storms by severity

New research by breakdown provider Green Flag revealed that 65 per cent of Britons felt Storm Eleanor sounded like a ‘low - moderate’ storm, despite predictions it would do widespread damage, with winds up to 80mph.

The survey also showed that ten per cent of drivers never check storm and weather warnings before driving.

Simon Henrick, head of news at Green Flag, said: “While it is clear British drivers are influenced by the name of a storm, the reality is that all storms cause difficulty for drivers and must be approached with caution.

“It’s worrying that one in ten of us never check storm and weather warnings before driving, as storms dramatically alter conditions on the road.

“We always advise drivers to check the weather conditions and make sure their car is road ready before driving.”

Almost half, 46 per cent, of UK drivers are calling for storms to be named according to how severe they are. The study revealed ‘Storm Trump’ to be the most deadly sounding storm name, with 17 per cent of British drivers believing a ‘Storm Trump’ would signal maximum devastation.

But just 13 per cent thought the same for Katrina, which inflicted long-lasting damage across New Orleans in 2005. Hurricane Irma, which wreaked havoc across the world earlier this year, only scored five per cent. ‘Storm Simon’ topped the list as the least threatening storm name, with 70 per cent of Brits saying it sounded like a low to moderate storm.

But a change to naming storms by severity could see a dramatic drop in Britons driving during them. While 65 per cent of drivers would carry on driving during an official storm name such as Eleanor, just 55 per cent of drivers would persevere in storms named Hades, Medusa or Poseidon.