Doctors Crash More Than Any Other Profession

Despite the fact they should be the most savvy of all professions when it comes to accidents and injuries,  research revealed today by Confused.com shows GPs are actually the most hazardous drivers in the UK.  They top the table as the occupation with the highest number of car insurance claims with 33% of those  registered with the price comparison site claiming in the past year.

Furthermore, those in a medical profession appeared most frequently in the top ten (50%). Closely following GPs were; psychologists (30%), district nurses (30%), hospital doctors (29%) and dentists (27%).

Even having 20-20 eyesight doesn¹t seem to mean you¹re exempt from a crash - opticians proved a sight for sore eyes with 27% claiming for an incident in the last 12 months. Law-abiding policemen joined them in the top 20 with 26% making a claim. 

High earners such as solicitors and accountants are more likely to make a claim than low earners, contributing to 65% of the top 20. In contrast, manual labourers appear to be the safest drivers with 85% of the bottom  20 made up of carpet fitters, decorators and plasterers. Other safe drivers from manual labour industries include farm workers (10%), construction workers (10%), painter/decorators (11%) and mechanics (11%). Thankfully, car valeters are the least likely to make a claim with only 8% putting in the paperwork last year.

Will Thomas, Head of Motor Insurance at Confused.com says, "The findings really challenge perceptions of motorist profiles. Typically, people would expect a painter, decorator or the White Van Man to be more likely to have an accident than a doctor or accountant but the survey shows quite the opposite. It¹s also rather interesting that five medical professions appear in the top ten. Perhaps the long hours and work related stress associated with such professions might explain their diminishing attention levels whilst on the road. What¹s ultimately important is that drivers choose the right insurance policy for their lifestyle so that they're adequately covered should an accident happen."

More at Confused.com

(Photo by Paul Williams)