New research suggests that your surname may affect how accident-prone you are behind the wheel.
Online car insurance specialist, elephant.co.uk has discovered that motorists with the surname Gill are the most likely to be involved in an accident.
elephant.co.uk looked at its database of more than 23,000 accident claims to find out which popular surnames* featured most. Topping the list was Gill, closely followed by Mills and Adams.
Gills are 23% more likely than average to have a claim for an accident. Mills are 20% more likely, and Adams 15% more likely.
elephant.co.uk MD, Brian Martin said, “On a positive note, we found that the least accident prone surnames are Armstrong, Fraser and Davidson which sit at the bottom of our list.
“We’re just having a bit of fun. Of course, we’re not saying all drivers named Gill pose more of a hazard, or that Armstrongs are always going to be the safest drivers either. There are a number of factors that contribute to the risk of a motorist having a crash. But it is interesting that there is such a difference between the accident rates of some surnames compared with others.”
According to the research Armstrongs are 29% less likely than average to have an accident, and 43% less likely than Gills.
Gills are most likely to live in Twickenham and the surrounding areas, and their favourite car is a Volkswagen Golf. Our safer drivers, the Armstrongs are more likely to live in the Newcastle area, and also favour a Volkswagen Golf.
* over 1500
Top 10 Surnames |
Bottom 10 Surnames |
Rank |
Surname |
Percentage |
Rank |
Surname |
Percentage |
1 |
Gill |
19.60 |
1 |
Armstrong |
11.07 |
2 |
Mills |
19.00 |
2 |
Fraser |
12.59 |
3 |
Adams |
18.33 |
3 |
Davidson |
12.60 |
4 |
Bennett |
18.00 |
4 |
Reid |
12.69 |
5 |
Walsh |
17.88 |
5 |
Fox |
12.72 |
6 |
Howard |
17.73 |
6 |
Duncan |
12.83 |
7 |
Foster |
17.48 |
7 |
Gibson |
13.23 |
8 |
Harvey |
17.38 |
8 |
Kerr |
13.41 |
9 |
Turner |
17.22 |
9 |
Russell |
13.50 |
10 |
Butler |
17.16 |
10 |
Rose |
13.52 |
Issue date: 12-09-07
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