What do a male chef driving a Lexus living in Oldham and a female hairdresser driving a BMW living in Manchester have in common? According to new research, they’ve been revealed as the riskiest drivers in Britain.

Women’s car insurance specialist Diamond looked at the occupations, cars and locations of the motorists with the worst driving record to create an overall picture of the men and women most likely to make a claim.

Diamond’s research revealed the North West is a hot bed for claimants as the second riskiest locations for men and women are Blackburn and Bolton respectively.

Diamond managing director, Sian Lewis, commented, “It’s surprising to see such a concentration of risky drivers over a relatively small area.

“Being a chef is a high pressure job and the adrenaline and tiredness after a long shift could have an effect on their driving ability. For hairdressers, previous research we’ve carried out showed that they are 18% more likely to have an accident than non-hairdressers so their appearance at the top isn’t a huge surprise.”

But who are the least risky drivers in the UK? For men a Police Officer driving a Skoda living in Inverness and for women an Assistant Teacher driving a Saab living in Perth lead the way. Scotland seems to be a hot spot for safe drivers with Dumfries as the second safest location for men and Dundee being the same for women.

Sian Lewis continued, “Saab and Volvo appear in the top 3 for both men and women when it comes to safe driving which poses a chicken and egg dilemma. Do safer drivers tend to buy Scandinavian cars regarded as safe, or does the fact that they are driving safer cars make them less likely to make a claim?”