Be a safer rider… avoid surgeons on the road!

A MoneySuperMarket analysis of over 11 million car insurance quotes has revealed the top ten professions in the UK that make both the fewest, and most, ‘at fault’ claims on their car insurance policies. Based on 1,934,550 claims recorded in a five year history of each driver, from 11,064,736 million quotes run on the MoneySuperMarket car insurance site between 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014, it’s a good guide to the drivers us bikers should steer well clear of!

Surgeons are most likely to make an at-fault claim, followed by a GP, health visitor and hospital consultant; meaning the healthcare sector may be best placed to save your life, but are the ones to avoid on the road. The only sector outside of health care to enter the top ten table for at-fault claims are probation officers, who will no doubt spend a lot of time in the car between meeting offenders, victims and the police.

With the healthcare sector holding pole position for the country’s highest at-fault claims, the table of the ten professions least likely to have an ‘at fault’ claim has much more variety. Professions such as building society clerks, typists and funfair employees, are amongst the safest drivers in the UK.

Kevin Pratt, car insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “It is really interesting to see how much one industry dominates the top ten claims table – it seems those who have the responsibility of saving our lives and caring for our health are the most accident prone drivers. There is no doubt that surgeons, GPs and health visitors are all stressful jobs, so lack of time or tiredness could mean that these drivers are more likely to make an ‘at fault’ claim.

“Being involved in an accident, no matter how minor, whether you’re at fault or not, can be a traumatic and costly experience. Our research shows the average claim value for an ‘at fault’ accident is nearly £3,000 and claiming for either ‘not at fault’ or ‘at fault’ accidents will drive up annual premiums, typically adding around £33 on average.

“We urge drivers of all professions to take care on the roads – to avoid making claims, and risk the safety of themselves and drivers around them.

“If you’ve had to make a claim on your insurance, it makes it even more vital to shop around for the best deal on your cover at renewal. Insurers all have different ways of pricing based on risk and some might be more lenient than others, especially to win your business. With so much choice available it pays to spend a small amount of time comparing insurance quotes and getting the best deal for your changed circumstances.”

Top ten professions registering the fewest ‘at fault’ claims:

Claims per 1000 drivers

1 Building Society Clerk 3.5

2 Order Clerk 14.8

3 Audit Clerk 27.6

4 Funfair Employee 30.1

5 Wages Clerk 33.4

6 Typist 35.4

7 Car Wash Attendant 52.5

8 Abattoir Worker 53.6

9 Packer 55.7

10 Picker 59.6

Top ten professions registering the most ‘at fault’ claims:

Claims per 1000 drivers

1 Surgeon 361.2

2 General Practitioner 332.5

3 Health Visitor 314.8

4 Hospital Consultant 295.6

5 Clinical Psychologist 282.2

6 Psychotherapist 269.8

7 Probation Officer 268.1

8 District Nurse 265.7

9 Dental Surgeon 262.9

10 Community Nurse 261.1

These are stunning figures… of the people you know who’ve been involved in an ‘at fault’ incident, what was their profession?!