Survey reveals more than one in 10 North London bikers suffer accidents

Over one in ten bikers living in North London suffered an accident last year according to new research which reveals the capital’s northern postcode area to be home to the UK’s most crash prone riders.

The shocking statistic was revealed following postcode analysis by the UK's largest motorcycle insurance specialist, Carole Nash, of all accident claims it received from among nearly 230,000 policyholders during 2003. The Carole Nash Motorcycle Accident Risk Survey 2004 found that for the third year running London riders had the highest accident rates whilst all of the top 20 highest risk areas were found in the capital and South East.

“The usual suspects from in and around the M25 dominate the accident tables, but areas like North London give particular cause for concern,” said Carole Nash’s Operations Manager, Dave Bowcock whose department deals with more than 14,000 motorcycle claims costing over £25m annually.

He added: “In these areas bikers are more likely to cover more commuter than leisure miles and must contend with car congested, urban roads. It’s also important to note that over two-thirds of our accident claims are not the fault of the rider but of car drivers, suggesting that greater funds need to be committed to educating drivers to think bike.”

The research also revealed that nationally accident rates had dipped slightly. “We’ve seen a significant although not substantial drop in the national average rate, aided by regions such as Wales where wholesale improvements have been recorded,” said Mr. Bowcock. “Nationally this is unlikely, in the short-term at least, to translate into reduced premiums, although specific areas which show sustained improvement may see a longer term benefit. It’s important to remember that this research reveals only the rate of accidents in each area, not the cost. Areas may record fewer accidents but they may be costlier and that is clearly something underwriters will take into account, with other risk factors, when calculating premiums.”

But there was good news for bikers in Northern Ireland who enjoyed the UK’s lowest accident rate. Elsewhere the survey revealed that the Isle of Man, renowned for its motorcycling thrills and spills, secured the second most improved accident record. “If it hadn’t been for an unusually poor performance by Inverness bikers in last year’s survey, Manx riders would undoubtedly have taken the top title,” commented Mr. Bowcock . “The island jumped up the safety rankings to achieve not just the second most improved record, but the second best accident risk full stop. That’s an impressive achievement.”

Less impressive was the performance of Dundee bikers. Last year they enjoyed one of the UK’s lowest accident rates but the new research shows them plummeting down the safety league to record the UK’s worst year-on-year performance. The Scottish city now suffers Scotland’s highest accident risk and one of the worst crash rates outside the traditional hotspots in London and the South East.

Editor’s Note: A full league table of all postcode areas surveyed is available on request by calling Andy Loynes on 0161 280 1433. Please note London West Central, London East Central, Guernsey, Hebrides, Jersey and Shetland Isles not included in survey due to biking populations being too small for statistical significance. Carole Nash is the UK’s leading motorcycle insurance specialist, with around one in four of all bikers insured through the company. It is the UK’s 39th biggest insurance broker (source: Insurance Times).