Motorists tremble at the prospect of sharing the road with van and lorry drivers, research from Royal & SunAlliance has found.

Almost one-fifth of motorists (19 per cent) said they saw the lorry and van drivers as the biggest threat to their road safety.

In fact, R&SA; claims data shows the van drivers were at fault in 60 per cent of all collisions involving them in the last 12 months.

By contrast, pedestrians feel most at risk faced with ‘boy racers’, young and seemingly reckless drivers.

Pedestrians thought cyclists were a bigger risk to their safety than older drivers, while motorists ranked older drivers just below boy racers as their third most feared road companions.

Motorists seeking to protect themselves from the threat of accidents could find themselves paying more for their insurance, it emerged last month.

Royal Bank of Scotland Insurance, which owns brands such as Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege, revealed plans to hike insurance premiums by as much as 20 per cent in 2007, shortly after Norwich Union increased rates by 40 per cent.

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