Skip to main content

Greater London tops the Aviva safe driver table

It may have one the heaviest traffic volumes in the UK but Greater London tops the safe driving table according to analysis from insurance provider Aviva’s Drive App, which uses smartphone technology to record a motorist’s driving style, covering their acceleration, braking and cornering. Data from over 3.5 million miles driven by users of the app reveals the areas with the safest drivers. Greater London, including areas such as Islington, Chelsea and Croydon takes the top spot in Aviva’s table - which i
November 22, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
It may have one the heaviest traffic volumes in the UK but Greater London tops the safe driving table according to analysis from insurance provider Aviva’s Drive App, which uses smartphone technology to record a motorist’s driving style, covering their acceleration, braking and cornering.

Data from over 3.5 million miles driven by users of the app reveals the areas with the safest drivers. Greater London, including areas such as Islington, Chelsea and Croydon takes the top spot in Aviva’s table - which is especially impressive given the heavy traffic volumes, indicating residents are more likely to prioritise safety over speed. Drivers from Devon also demonstrated strong road safety skills by placing second in Aviva’s table, with East Yorkshire coming in third. At the bottom of the table are Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.

Heather Smith, director of marketing at Aviva, said of the findings, “Although it’s fun to look at different regions’ driving scores, our results clearly show that the UK is a nation of safe drivers. The average score by all users of the Aviva Drive app was more than 6 out of a possible 10, meaning most drivers qualified for a discount on their premium.

“In fact, three out of four drivers who completed the app qualified for some form of discount, and 31 per cent of drivers qualified for the maximum 20 per cent discount. So even though the Aviva Drive app is seen by many as an interesting way to measure how safely you drive, it’s also a great way to save on your motor insurance.”

The research also demonstrated that age continues to be a relevant factor in how we drive, although it did challenge a few popular age-related driving stereotypes. The over 70s scored best out of all ages on careful braking, while those aged between 60 and 69 were found to be the safest generation of drivers. All age groups scored lowest on cornering out of the three driving behaviours that the app looks at (acceleration, braking and cornering), with those under 20 scoring lowest out of all ages.

Related Content

  • November 7, 2013
    Bit by bit insurers agree data protocol
    Telematics technology may be a game changer for the automobile insurance industry but it comes with some caveats as Colin Sowman discovers. James Bielak, (P&C) program manager at the US office of ACORD (the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development), has an unenviable job: to devise a standard form of communicating vehicle data between telematics providers and insurance companies. To that end he has gathered together a group composed of insurers, telematics providers and other intere
  • January 22, 2016
    Survey outlines predictions for public transport by 2025
    A new survey from Xerox underscores the desire for self-driving cars and smart digital services like integrated apps and cashless payment by Europe’s Generation Z (those aged 18-24 years old). The study was conducted by TNS on behalf of Xerox between 5 and 26 October 2015 among 1,200 respondents in 12 cities across the UK, France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. It revealed that by 2025, a third (32 per cent) of 18-24 year olds expect to be using self-driving cars, four in ten (41 per cent) say they w
  • July 19, 2019
    AV drivers need help for safe handovers, says RAC
    Drivers will need help preparing for unexpected situations where their autonomous vehicle (AV) hands back control, warns the RAC Foundation. RAC carried out a study in the UK with the Human Factors Research Group at the University of Nottingham on 49 people of varying ages using a driving simulator on a ‘commute-style’ journey for five days in a row. During the trial, the drivers demonstrated significant lateral movement (lane swerving) when control was handed back to them, even after being provided
  • February 12, 2015
    IAM shocked by the worst speeders in England and Wales
    The UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has lifted the lid on the worst examples of excessive speeding caught on safety cameras across England and Wales in 2014. Britain’s two worst speeders were caught at 146mph, both by Kent Police on the M25, one travelling anti-clockwise, the other going clockwise. There were three other recorded instances of speeds of 140mph or more; 145mph on the M6 toll road (70mph limit), 141mph on the A1 Great Ponton Northbound road (70mph limit) and 140mph on the A5 C