Specsavers
BUMP CAPITAL
Bristol was yesterday (Sun) named as the car crash capital of the UK
Research revealed more people in the south west city have had car accidents than anyone else in the country.
More than a third have been involved in at least one smash within the past year and almost three quarters have also had a near-miss.
Second place in the poll by Specsavers was Swansea where 32 per cent of motorist have had a prang in the last 12 months.
Belfast, Coventry and Brighton completed the top five.
Southampton were found to be the safest on the roads with just eight per cent being involved in a car accident, along with those from Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester and Glasgow.
Specsavers co-founder Dame Mary Perkins, said: ''Driving around a city is never a great experience, but these results show that it's probably best to avoid Bristol at all costs.
''But while some crashes were blamed on bad roads or horrible weather conditions, it's worrying to see that so many of the accidents are down to people not concentrating or being able to see properly.
''This research shows how important eyesight is to road safety, both for motorist and those around them.
''Our vision help us to spot potential dangers giving us more time to react and therefore avoid accidents.''
Bristol was also top for accidents down to not being able to see properly or because drivers weren't wearing their glasses with 47 per cent of those blaming bad vision.
Seventy-eight per cent said bad weather or the state of the roads was also a factor in the crash, while 39 per cent admitted they simply weren't concentrating properly.
The poll of 3,000 drivers revealed that 19 per cent - 6.5 million - Brits have been involved in a car crash within the past year.
And more than half admitted the reason for their smash was that they weren't paying enough attention to the road.
Another six per cent owned up to speeding while 64 per cent blamed bad roads or weather.
Twelve per cent even said the accident was because they weren't wearing their glasses or couldn't see properly.
But researchers found that drivers are risking more accidents as one in three could be on the road with poor sight, having not had their eyes tested within the past two years.
Another six per cent admitted it had been at least 11 years since their last check-up with the opticians.
But even those who know they need to wear glasses behind the wheel often don't with one in five saying they sometimes don't bother to put them on.
But more than three quarters of people think that drivers should be required by law to have their sight examined regularly.
And 96 per cent say they would make sure they had frequent eye tests if it meant they could get a reduction on their car insurance.
Three quarters of people also think the EU legislation, due to come into place in the UK in 2011, requiring motorists to have regular eye exams is a good idea.
Dame Mary Perkins added: ''We welcome the new EU legislation and are pleased to see that the public realises the benefits of regular eye examinations for motorists.''
DODGY DRIVERS
1. Bristol
2. Swansea
3. Belfast
4. Coventry
5. Brighton
6. Aberdeen
7. Cambridge
8. Plymouth
9. London
10. Cardiff
SAFE DRIVERS
1. Southampton
2. Leeds
3. Sheffield
4. Manchester
5. Glasgow
6. Oxford
7. Exeter
8. Birmingham
9. Newcastle
10. Portsmouth
