Reading Worst in UK for Cat and Dog Road Accidents

Research conducted by Direct Line has concluded that over a quarter of road accidents involving pets occurred in just 10 areas in the UK. The insurance company settled pet road accident claims in 104 postcode locations last year, but nearly 30 per cent of these incidents happened in the same ten accident hotspots.

Locations in the list included Hemel Hempstead, London, Redhill and Glasgow, but it was Reading that was crowned the most dangerous area for pets in the UK. The list comes after it was announced that the total cost of pet related road accidents came to £752,245 worth of claims in 2011, with the average claim involving a dog coming in at £1,118.

Commenting on the statistics, Adam Whiteley, head of Direct Line pet insurance, said: “Most people view their dog or cat as a part of the family and therefore it can be a traumatic experience for them if their pet is involved in a road traffic accident”

“More surprisingly it seems that names play a part in a pet’s likelihood to be involved in an accident according to Direct Line. More than 60 per cent of settled claims involved a cat, with the most accident prone felines called Leo, Tigger and Billy.”