Revealed: Britain's most terrifying road junction

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The Hanger Lane gyratory system in west London is viewed by drivers as the most frightening junction.

As many as 28 per cent of those polled by the Highway Insurance company voted for Hanger Lane, a large, complex roundabout system where the A40 Western Avenue meets the North Circular Road near Ealing.

At its widest, the gyratory system spans eight lanes, which run around Hanger Lane Underground Station and a nature reserve.

At its widest, the Hanger Lane gyratory system spans eight lanes

The second most scary junction was Birmingham's Spaghetti Junction, garnering 26 per cent of the vote, with Marble Arch in central London third on 25 per cent and the Elephant and Castle in south London fourth.

The survey of 500 drivers also revealed that more women are apprehensive about negotiating junctions than male drivers.

Spaghetti Junction looks the most daunting, but it's beaten by Hanger Lane

Asked if they avoided particular junctions regularly, 17 per cent of female motorists said yes compared with nine per cent of male drivers.

The age of drivers appeared to have no effect on their anxiety levels.

Scottish drivers were most apprehensive about the M6 junctions in central Glasgow, but Welsh drivers found Spaghetti Junction scariest and motorists in the South West voted for the M4/M5 interchange.

Highway Insurance managing director Chris Hill said: "I have driven around Hanger Lane many times and understand completely why people find it so daunting.

Marble Arch looks less grand if you are stuck in the queues of traffic usually surrounding it

"Anxiety has a significant impact on drivers' behaviour, so it's interesting to see how motorists react to these major junctions. I suspect that, for many people, the thought of these junctions is actually worse than the reality."

These are the scariest road junctions overall according to British drivers:

1. Hanger Lane Gyratory System, west London

2. Spaghetti Junction, Birmingham

3. Marble Arch, central London

4. Elephant and Castle, south London

5. South Mimms, A1/M25, Hertfordshire

6. M4/M5 interchange, Bristol

7. Magic Roundabout, Swindon, Wiltshire

8. M8 junctions through central Glasgow

9. Mancunian Way junctions, Manchester

10. Sheriffhall Roundabout, Edinburgh