Surgeons most likely to make insurance claim

DOCTORS who work as surgeons are the most likely to make a claim on their car insurance, with 36% of them making an ‘at fault’ claim at some point in their driving history in the past five years.

Healthcare professionals do not come out well in the top 10 of drivers most likely to claim on their own insurance, with GP doctors in second place and health visitors in third. The trend continues with hospital consultants in fourth and clinical psychologists in fifth spot and psychotherapists in sixth.

The first non-healthcare worker in the top 10 is a probation officer at eighth, but district nurses take ninth place and community nurses tenth.

In the survey by Moneysupermarket, it found the safest drivers and least likely to claim are clerks, while funfair employees, typists, car wash workers, and people who work in abattoirs are also safe bets.

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.’

By Press Association reporters