Surgeons Are the Most Accident-Prone Drivers

People who spend much of their working lives stitching up accident victims are among those most likely to cause car accidents, according to a startling new study from Britain. The analysis commissioned by financial services firm Moneysupermarket.com found that surgeons were the most likely to file an at-fault claim—at a rate of 361 per 1,000 over a five-year period—and nine of the rest of the top 10 professions likeliest to cause accidents were also medical workers, including psychologists and nurses, the Guardian reports. Probation officers, who spend a lot of time on the road, were also in the top 10 of the analysis, which was based on more than 2 million insurance claims.

"It seems those who have the responsibility of saving our lives and caring for our health are the most accident-prone drivers," a car insurance expert at the company says, explaining that "lack of time or tiredness" could be behind many of the accidents. There were some surprises at the bottom end of the scale as well: Most of the 10 professions least likely to cause car accidents were assorted kinds of office clerks, but, the Daily Mail notes, carnival employees, car wash attendants, and slaughterhouse workers also made the list. (Also more likely to get in car accidents: pregnant women.)