Today carries highest risk of having a road accident

Today has been dubbed “Danger Day” by insurance companies after analysis of claims data revealed that car accidents are more than twice as likely to occur on this date than any other time of year.

Reports released by the Co-operative Insurance and Admiral Insurance found that bad weather, dark days and a preoccupation with Christmas combined to make motorists most likely to be involved in an accident.

And drivers in Glasgow are three times more likely to be involved in car accidents than in other parts of the Scotland – the fourth worst in the UK – the data from the Co-operative claimed.

The report said claims relating to car collisions were 129 per cent higher on “Danger Day” than during an average 24-hour period. Grant Mitchell, head of motor insurance at the Co-operative, said experts believed a number of factors contributed to the road carnage, but said no definitive reason for the increase has been established.

He said: “This is probably down to a combination of the pre-Christmas rush, when everyone is dashing to the supermarket or to buy last-minute gifts, along with the fact that people also feel tired and sluggish from the Christmas party season, which makes it harder to concentrate on the road.

“Of course, when these factors are combined with busy roads, bad weather and the fact that the days are at their shortest, accidents can and do happen.”