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Endsleigh names UK's best and worst cities for motorists

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31 October 2005

Endsleigh Insurance, the leading insurance company for career people, today named the UK's safest and most dangerous towns and cities for motorists in its report 'Motor Cities 2005'. By analysing a rolling four year average of policy and claims data from across the UK, Endsleigh has identified both the most dangerous and the safest cities in the country, in terms of motor theft and accident claims, compared to the Endsleigh national average. The average covers tens of thousands of cars and drivers.

'Motor Cities 2005' ranks cities on the basis of the number of claims per policyholder by location over a four-year period from 2001. The data therefore shows the likelihood of accidents or thefts, rather than just the total number of incidents that have occurred in each city.

The top three in each category are:

Most dangerous cities for car theft:
1. Leeds
2. Bristol
3. Manchester

Safest cities for car theft:
1. Aberdeen
2. Exeter
3. Plymouth

Most dangerous cities for accidents:
1. London
2.Birmingham
3. Manchester

Safest cities for accidents:
1.Belfast
2. Cambridge
3. Swansea

A full set of results is available from Endsleigh's media centre at www.endsleigh.co.uk/motorcities2005

Endsleigh's claims data backs up the perception that car accidents and crime are falling across the UK as a whole.

Motor Accidents in UK Cities – Overall figures remain steady, with improvements in some areas. The figures for accidents on the UK's city streets, while not showing enormous leaps, have improved in some cities and have generally remained consistent over the last two to three years.

Motor Theft in UK Cities – Gradual improvement across top ten most dangerous cities. While a ranking in the top ten is concerning for residents of the cities in question, they can be reassured that despite this, there has been a small decrease in levels of car thefts across the top ten – as reflected in the recent British Crime Survey report, which showed that incidences of car theft are down by 10%.

Tim Larden, Endsleigh's spokesman, said: "The overall national picture on car accidents and theft is good news for drivers – particularly with the figures released in the recent British Crime Survey confirming a drop in car theft. We believe that this is largely the result of greater safety awareness amongst drivers, coupled with effective national and local action to address the issues of motor safety.

"It is clear, however, that some cities in the UK have bucked the national trend and are suffering an increased risk of car theft, compared to the average. There is a need for urgent, coordinated action at a local level to tackle the problem of theft, while continuing the good work on accident prevention which has already begun to show results.”

Key Findings – City by City

From our survey of customers, London is the most dangerous city for accidents in the UK, although the city has seen a slight drop in the level of car accidents. This could be a result of the introduction of congestion charging in February 2003 allied with London-wide activity on accident reduction as reported by the Mayor in May. The capital also remains the fourth most dangerous city in the UK for motor theft.

Leeds is the worst city in the UK for car theft and appears in the top ten for accidents. Drivers in Leeds are twice as likely to suffer motor theft as drivers nationwide. However, despite its ranking, incidences of both car theft and accidents in the city have gone down. Birmingham is the second most dangerous city for motor accidents, but it falls outside of the top ten for theft. Manchester ranks as the third most dangerous city in the UK for both accidents and theft. Bristol is the second most dangerous city in the UK for theft although comes outside the top ten most dangerous cities for accidents.

Belfast is the UK's safest city for accidents and also makes the top ten safest cities list for theft. Aberdeen is the UK's safest city for motor theft and also features in the safest ten list in terms of motor accidents. Exeter is rated as the second safest city in terms of theft in front of Plymouth and Southampton. While Cambridge, Swansea, Oxford and Edinburgh complete the top five safest list for accidents, they do not feature in either the safest or worst list for theft.

Alongside Belfast and Aberdeen, the best news is to be found in Gloucester and Portsmouth as they feature in the top ten safest lists for both accidents and theft. Conversely, Sheffield and Stockport join Leeds in the top ten most dangerous city lists for both accidents and theft.

Endsleigh's policies are available online via www.endsleigh.co.uk, by telephone and through 130 branches across the country.

- ENDS -

Notes to editors

Endsleigh is an independent intermediary specialising in the provision of insurance and financial products for career people.

Originally founded in 1965 to serve the student market, Endsleigh is now the preferred insurance supplier for a variety of professional organisations, offering a wide range of services including motor, home, student and travel insurance.

Endsleigh also offers business insurance through Endsleigh Business Insurance Services and financial advice through Endsleigh Financial Independent Tailoring.

Contact Details
For further information about Endsleigh, to arrange an interview or to get more details about case studies, please contact:

Bridget Hargreave, Nick Faith, Aideen McDonald or Ben Frankel at Luther Pendragon on 020 7618 9100 or at endsleigh@luther.co.uk.

Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. This can be checked on the FSA Register by visiting its web site at www.fsa.gov.uk/register.
Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited. Company No: 856706 registered in England at Shurdington Road, Cheltenham Spa, Gloucestershire GL51 4UE.