Most crashes happen close to home

Most car crashes happen close to home, a new study has revealed.

One in three smashes occur within just one mile of the driver's home, according to the survey by insurance firm Elephant.co.uk.

The poll of 3800 customers revealed a further third of accidents happened between one to five miles from home.

The results in full

Distance
Less than 1mile:
1 to 5 miles:
6 to 10 miles:
11 to 25 miles:
26 to 50 miles:
50+ miles:Percentage of accidents
30%
35%
13%
11%
5%
6%

Drivers 'in the comfort zone'
Brian Martin, managing director of elephant.co.uk, said: 'Our research suggests that many drivers appear to be in a comfort zone when driving close to home on familiar roads, explaining why such a large proportion of accidents occur there.'

'It's so important to keep a full level of concentration when driving, whether you're just popping to the shops or starting or ending a longer journey.'

The most common 'close to home' accidents involved:

• Hitting parked vehicles
• Crashing while pulling out of a minor road
• Reversing into a vehicle
• Hitting a wall