Revealed: UK’s safest city for van drivers

Belfast is the safest city in the UK for van drivers, according to analysis of data from Admiral’s van insurance customers.

Van drivers in the capital of Northern Ireland were the least likely to be involved in a road accident, and the least likely to be the victim of theft.

UK Top 10: Van driver accident hotspots

LEAST likely areas for van accidents		MOST likely areas for van accidents
Rank	Area	Rank	Area
1	Belfast	1	London – NW
2	Inverness	2	London – SW
3	Dumfries & Galloway	3	Ilford
4	Aberdeen	4	Harrow
5	Shrewsbury	5	Bromley
6	Llandudno	6	Sutton
7	Darlington	7	London – W
8	Hereford	8	Watford
9	Blackpool	9	Uxbridge
10	Galashiels	10	Dartford

All 10 top spots for van drivers most likely to claim for an accident are taken by areas in and directly neighbouring London, making it the van accident capital of the UK.

Outside of Greater London, St Albans, Maidstone and the Isle of Man are the most likely places for van drivers to claim for an accident, all falling within the top 20 places where drivers are most likely to make a claim.

Regionally, van drivers in Greater London are the most likely to make a claim for an accident, with over 17% having made a claim. Van drivers in the South East and South West were second and third most likely to claim for accidents.

Van policyholders in London, Yorkshire and the West Midlands were found to make the greatest number of claims relating to theft while drivers in Northern Ireland, Scotland and East Anglia make the fewest theft claims.

Van thefts by region

Rank	Region
1	Greater London
2	Yorkshire
3	W Midlands
4	East Midlands
5	South East
6	North West
7	North
8	South West
9	Wales
10	East Anglia
11	Scotland
12	Northern Ireland

The investigation also found that builders, who most commonly drive a Ford Transit (according to Admiral), were the most likely to be the victim of theft, followed by carpenters.

Occupations most commonly affected by van theft

Rank	Occupation
1	Builder
2	Carpenter
3	Company Director
4	Electrician
5	Plumbing & Heating Engineer
6	Joiner
7	Gardener
8	Plasterer
9	Landscape Gardener/designer
10	Painter/decorator

With more than four million vans on UK roads, and a 26% increase in the last 10 years, more commercial vehicles are being driven than ever before.

To help those buying a van identify the best model for them, Admiral has created a new tool which reveals the makes and models typically chosen by people of the same profession.