Ireland: The Hibernian crash report

• Insurer warns cocky drivers to play it safe in advance of bank holiday weekend
• Accident rates up 35% on bank holiday Fridays
• Over half of motorists don’t know new km/h speed limits

Cocky and over-confident drivers are posing a real danger on Irish roads, a new report from Hibernian Insurance reveals today.

The bi-annual Hibernian Insurance Crash Report* shows that Ireland is a nation of self-assured drivers with 92% claiming to be confident behind the wheel, and a further 82% saying that they would pass their driving test if they sat it again today.

In reality the Hibernian Crash Report has found that one third of these confident drivers have been involved in a collision. And according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists a high proportion would fail the driving test second time round. What’s more, 54% of motorists do not know the new kilometres per hour national road speed limit of 100km/h. This number rose to almost two-thirds for drivers aged over 50, most of whom had to admit that they did not know the kph equivalent of 60mph.

With more people heading out in the car this June bank holiday weekend, the Report has identified the Fridays of our bank holiday weekends as some of the worst days of the year for accidents. Hibernian receives on average 35% more claims on bank holiday Fridays that on an average day. In 2004 the Friday of the October bank holiday weekend was the worst day, in 2003 it was the Friday of the May bank holiday.

Bank holiday Fridays are only surpassed by the days leading up to Christmas, Monday 20 December 2004 saw a 40% increase in claims made to Hibernian.

The Hibernian Crash Report is based on an in-depth analysis of company claims data since 2000. Hibernian’s director of claims John Gregan said: "Obviously no one likes to admit that they are a bad driver, however we have been surprised by what seems to be motorists misplaced confidence on the roads. Over-confidence can be dangerous and over-confidence combined with speed can be a killer. Our claims data reveals just how common car collisions actually are and just how quickly we forget the skills and safety guidelines needed to obtain a driving licence in the first place.

"The fact that so many are still unsure of the new speed limits only serves to add to the uncertainty on the roads – we strongly urge all drivers to be extra cautious this weekend".

The Crash Report also adds fuel to the age-old battle of the sexes about who’s the better driver. Nearly half of all men believe that they are a better driver than their partner, yet only 2% believe that men are actually safer drivers than women. Men are also more likely to have an accident, and make 24% more claims than women.

Commenting on the research, Mike Kavanagh of the Institute of Advanced Motorists said: "Hibernian’s findings are not surprising. Many experienced drivers think that they drive much better than they actually do. They tend to either under-estimate the risks or over-estimate their ability to deal with them, and believe that they will never have an accident. Most drivers don't undertake any further driver training after passing their test. This test is really just the beginning of a driver’s learning experience, not the end of it."

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* The Crash Report was compiled on the basis of Hibernian Insurance claims data 2000-2004, it will be updated every six months. Additional consumer research was undertaken by Behaviours & Attitudes Ltd on behalf of Hibernian during May 2005.

Press contact: Kela O’Riordan, 01 617 8164, 086 606 8842, kela.oriordan@hibernian.ie

Notes to editors:

• Hibernian is part of Aviva plc the world’s fifth largest insurance group based on gross worldwide premiums
• Hibernian is Ireland’s largest composite insurer, ranked first for general insurance and top three for life and pensions
• Hibernian insures one in four Irish drivers – over 427,000 customers
• The Crash Report is available on pdf
• Hibernian news releases are also available on www.hibernian.ie