IF one of your drivers is going to have an accident, the chances are it will be betwen noon and 1pm.

A new survey by insurance claims management specialist WNS assistance – whose clients include fleet customers – compared all its accident figures for the past three-and-a-half-years, and discovered that the likelihood of crashes happening at high noon is increasing. Midday accounted for 8.45% of all accidents in 2002, but 9.17% in the first seven months of this year.

The second most common time for a crash is during the morning rush hour between 8am and 9am. Oddly, the evening rush hour is less likely to produce an accident than any hour of the morning. The safest time to drive is in the middle of the night after 3am.

The most common months for a crash are January, February and March, followed by the autumn months.

WNS managing director Tim Rankin could only speculate why noon should be the time of so many accidents.

He said: ‘Perhaps motorists are trying to do too much over an early lunch hour and not paying attention as a result.

‘Then again, as these noon accidents are more likely to occur during the spring and summer months when our roads are enjoying their best visibility, perhaps it is a case that excellent driving conditions lead to a certain complacency or lack of care.’