Drivers in Manchester and Liverpool claim on their insurance for traffic light accidents more than any other region in the UK, a recent survey has found.
In a study by Admiral Car insurance, 1.3million claims over five years were looked at, and Manchester was one of the highest claiming cities for traffic bumps, second only to Liverpool.
Types of claims for traffic light collisions vary from drivers causing a slight bump after jutting forward, scrapes for rolling back on hills as well as from running red lights.
Admiral’s acting managing director Dave Halliday said: “The most common type of accidents on the UK’s roads are rear end bumps but we wanted to see if there were any trends with the other types of accidents we see as well, and there were some interesting findings.
“The results in the north west were surprising. It’s a real mystery why those in Liverpool and Manchester are more likely to have a bump at traffic lights.”
Manchester was recently revealed to have the highest insurance rates in the UK along with North West neighbour Liverpool.
Car insurance policies in Greater Manchester averages at more than £1,600 per year, and MM revealed earlier this week that 0.6% of the population are banned from driving – the highest number in the UK.
With rising cover rates, residents of Manchester have expressed their frustration at having to pay higher premiums because of dangerous drivers.
Taisie Wilson, 25, a sales representative from Didsbury, was slapped with an extra £200 on her insurance last year after a surge on claims for minor road incidents.
She said: “I see the way drivers approach traffic lights round this area, either they speed right through after the light has turned red, or they run a red light so late they are forced to emergency brake before the on-coming traffic hits them.
“Even when I stop when the light is amber, I can see disgruntled drivers behind me angry that I didn’t go, even though amber is telling you to slow down and stop.
“It is frustrating as I am a very careful driver and I am angry I have to pay because people don’t understand a simple colour coded system.”
Inspector John Armfield of Greater Manchester Police told MM: “We have been targeting dangerous road users to bring down the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.
“We know that speeding, using a mobile phone, not wearing a seatbelt or drink driving can have devastating consequences for all road users, and although our advice may seem simple, there are many motorists who choose not to follow it.”
Picture courtesy of Myrrh Ahn, with thanks.
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