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

  • Driver aids make inroads on improving safety
    November 12, 2015
    In-vehicle anti-collision systems continue to evolve and could eliminate some incidents altogether. John Kendall rounds up the current developments. A few weeks ago, I watched a driver reverse a car from a parking bay at right angles to the road, straight into a car driving along the road. The accident happened at walking pace, no-one was hurt and both cars had body panels that regain their shape after a low speed shunt.
  • The UK’s busiest crossing adopts free flow charging
    April 30, 2015
    Colin Sowman looks at the transition to free-flow charging on the Dartford Crossing, a notorious congestion blackspot on the UK motorway network. The Dartford Crossing, where London’s orbital M25 motorway crosses the lower reaches of the River Thames 32km (20 miles) to the east of Central London, has long been a major source of congestion. Now, to alleviate the congestion caused by some 50 million crossings per year, the Highways Agency has adopted a free-flow charging system - but the Crossing’s location a
  • Detection analysis technology successfully predicts traffic flows
    February 3, 2012
    David Crawford investigates new detection analysis technology from IBM. Locations on both the East and West Coasts of the US are scheduled for early deployments of IBM's new Traffic Prediction Tool (TPT) statistical analysis model for the fine-time resolution and near-term prediction of road flow conditions. Developed by IBM's Watson Research Laboratories, TPT is designed to analyse data from the the key detection indicators - average vehicle volumes and speeds passing a location in a given time interval -
  • Ukraine: how ITS works in a war zone
    November 28, 2023
    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has cost thousands of lives and devastated much of the country. Ertico – ITS Europe hosted a webinar in which some key players in Ukraine’s ITS community – Kyiv Digital, TomTom and Uber - shared their extraordinary stories. Adam Hill listened in…