Lauren is most accident-prone driver

Drivers called Lauren, Danielle and Jessica are the most likely to be involved in an accident, according to a new survey.

The research by insurer Elephant.co.uk also reveals that Margarets and Anns are the least likely to have a crash.

The men to avoid
For men, the names Luke, Sam and Ben appeared most frequently in an analysis of more than half a million motor insurance claims over a two-year period.

Compared with the average female motorist, drivers called Lauren were 24% more likely to have an accident, while men called Luke were 21% more likely to crash than the average male driver.

Elephant.co.uk managing director Brian Martin said: 'Motorists with some names have a higher probability of being involved in a car accident than others.

'There is no obvious reason for this, although some of these names are more common in younger people who present a higher risk of having an accident.'

The safest names behind the wheel
Women called Margaret are the least likely to have an accident, according to the research. They are 44% less likely to crash than Laurens.

For men, drivers called Douglas were 43% less likely than Lukes to have an accident.

Older drivers tend to be safer
Brian Martin continued: 'Our research is just a bit of fun, but the safest names definitely appear to be linked to the older generation compared with the least-safe names being more common to the younger generation.

'With Jack, Oliver, Olivia and Ruby being the most popular baby names at the moment, if we did this research again in 20 years' time, it would be interesting to see if they make an appearance near the top of the list then.'

Top five names for the highest accident rate
Position
1
2
3
4
5Men
Luke
Sam
Ben
Daniel
JosephWomen
Lauren
Danielle
Jessica
Leanne
Natalie

Top five names for the lowest accident rate

Position
1
2
3
4
5Men
Douglas
Raymond
Iain
Gordon
TrevorWomen
Margaret
Ann
Lesley
Anne
Wendy