It’s worth giving it some thought, after all, having to explain to your insurer that you need to make a claim after an incident with a stag might not be as unlikely as you think…
A report by Drive & Survive has revealed that 65% of accidents can be attributable to human error alone, while 95% involve human error in association with another factor.* The interesting part of that report goes on to reveal what the ‘other factor’ could be:
Reversing
Apparently more than 30% of incidents occur when a vehicle is reversing. According to Drive & Survive the average cost of a UK reversing accident is £469, so if in doubt why not get a passenger to hop out and give you a hand!
Blindness
Did you know up to 67% of UK drivers have uncorrected sight defects? It’s the kind of fact that makes you want to go and get your eyes tested. Although you’re required to have your vision checked as part of your driving test, this is only a basic test to check how far you can see in the distance. Ideally drivers should have an eye test at least every 2 years, even if you think your eye sight is normal. However in terms of the law you’re not required to have an eye test until you’re 70 years old.
Mobile phones
It’s no surprise that using a non hands-free mobile whilst driving has been made illegal - mobile phone users are 4 times more likely to have an accident. Can’t bear to be incommunicado? Drive & Survive’s study warns that even using a hands-free phone whilst driving is the equivalent of being in excess of the drink drive limit.
Fog
While you may have thought adverse weather conditions would encourage drivers to be more careful, it’s actually been revealed that in some cases the opposite is true. Scientists now believe that fog actually encourages people to speed up, which obviously increases risk dramatically.
Company Cars
A company car can be a lovely perk to a job. That said Drive & Survive’s findings indicate that company car drivers may not treat their vehicles with the same care they’d show for their own cars. 66% of UK company cars are the subject of an insurance claim each year.
Right turns
Something as simple as a right turn may strike some drivers as being fairly innocuous. But when compared with it’s lefty twin the right turn suddenly seems a lot more risky. Apparently 9% of UK insurance claims involve a right turn, as opposed to 4% for left turns.
Lamp posts
They may be an excellent prop for a spur-of the moment rendition of ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ - but lamp-posts also have a darker side. The seemingly innocent lamp-post is in fact the object most commonly hit in one-vehicle accidents.
Deer
Believe it or not recent findings reveal that there are 54,000 deer-related road incidents per annum. This has been found to cost the country £10.5 million. Just think, next time you see one of those ‘beware deer crossing’ signs you could be about to add to this astounding statistic.
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Greenbee PR
Josie Anderson
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171 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 5NN
United Kingdom
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