Research from UK insurer esure reveals how first names and car colours relate to claims and accident statistics.

(PRWEB) August 19, 2004 -- What’s in a name? According to UK internet car insurer,esure, your first name and the colour of car that you choose can make a big difference to how likely you are to make a claim on your car insurance.

Natasha the crasher, brown on her luck
Almost a third (30%) of men called Lloyd are likely to make a claim on their car insurance over the course of a year, and the same is true of more than a third (35%) of women named Natasha. Whilst not the raciest or riskiest of colours, brown cars see the most claims, knocking last year’s ‘pretty in pink’ drivers off the top spot.

Men              Women              Car Colours
Lloyd – 30%    Natasha – 35%    Brown – 22.6%
Sam – 28.2%    Shelley – 31%    Pink – 21.3%
Leon – 28%    Juliet – 30%    Black – 20.9%
Phil – 28%    Natalie – 28%    Yellow – 20.8%
Rob – 26%    Justine – 27.8%    Mauve – 20.3%

Murray’s the cream of the driving crop
If you’re driving with Murray or Mavis, chances are you’re in safe hands, as only 12% of Murrays and 7% of Mavis’ have made claims. All the better if they’re in a cream car – only 14.6% of their drivers have made claims.

Men              Women              Car Colours
Murray – 12%    Mavis - 7%    Cream – 14.6%
Royston – 12.2%    Susanne – 11%    Beige – 15%
Archie – 12.9%    Glenys – 11%    White – 16.4%
Terrence – 13%    Vivien – 12%    Bronze – 16.5%
Ernest – 13.2%    Doris – 12%    Maroon – 17%

Mike Pickard, head of risk and underwriting at esure said, “The research shows some surprising results; brightly coloured cars, even though they’re more visible, won’t necessarily keep you claim free. There are lots of other factors to consider, such as the types and ages of drivers likely to choose particular colours as their lifestyle badge, or the cars’ attractiveness to thieves.

“And while you might worry about driving with a Doris, names that are more common among older generations are some of the safest.”

Notes to Editors
*Percentage figures were calculated using the details of over 100,000 claims from esure over the last four years.

Press contacts:
Adrian Warr, Hill & Knowlton: 020 7973 5947
Alicia Jennings, media relations manager, esure: 01737 235178

About esure: esure is a joint venture between Peter Wood and the HBOS group. The company was launched in 2000 backed by £150m capital. It offers car, home and travel insurance over the internet and telephone and is one of the UK’s fastest growing general insurers with over 850,000 customers. The company employs over 1,500 staff and has offices in Surrey, Manchester and Glasgow