Top 5 regions where women bought GAP Insurance in 2015

There are a number of factors that can influence customers when they are considering buying GAP Insurance. From the make of the car to the age of the car and even the age of the owner, all of these elements are contributing factors when buying a GAP policy.

However, one of the most overlooked factors is regionality. ALA GAP Insurance has delved into the numbers to discover whether the region a woman lives in means she is more or less likely to buy GAP Insurance. Do the UK’s regional stereotypes hold true? Discover the surprising information below!

Regions where women bought GAP Insurance in 2015

The table below shows the women’s GAP sales figures for 2015, relative to the region’s population. To try and understand why women were more or less likely to purchase GAP from specific regions, we took the car crime and car accident data from across the UK to see if there were any correlations.

Top 10 Regions for Car Accidents

The car accident rates come from Government statistics on reported road casualties in the UK from 2014.

Top 10 Cities for Car Crime

The crime figures come from Honest John, which worked with ten cities across the UK, and are the worst for car crime of all types.

London and South East – 1st for car accidents, 3rd for car crime

Women living in London and the South East are the group most likely to buy GAP Insurance. Even when the figures are weighted against population, London is still the car accident hotspot in the UK, and comes third for car crime. The contributing factors behind these figure are London’s high population density, its tightly compacted residential streets, with 'residents only' parking, and the daily influx of tourists and commuters.

East of England – 3rd for car accidents

The East of England is one of the biggest regions in the UK and is one of the safest for car owners, but it is also the third highest region for car accidents. One of the contributing factors towards the region’s high accident rate is its proximity to London. A number of major roads go to the Capital, including the M1 London to Milton Keynes, M11 London to Cambridge, A1 London to Peterborough and the A11 London to Norwich. These busy roads, combined with heavy traffic, increase the risk of having a car accident.

East Midlands – 8th for car accidents

One of the smallest regions in the UK, the East Midlands, also has one of the lowest car accidents rates in the UK. A possible explanation for women in the region wanting to purchase GAP is the region’s central location. The M1 motorway serves all of the region's county towns and affords a motorway link between London and Leeds. The A1 also provides an important route for journeys to and from ports on England's north east coast as well as the capital, and is also a vital route for the UK’s agricultural industry. Such busy roads, heavy traffic and large vehicles only serve to increase the risk of being involved in a car accident.

South West England – 10th for car crime

South West England has comparatively smaller counties to the rest of the UK. Gloucestershire, Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall having fewer people and fewer cars all helps to keep accidents rates low in the region. However, Bristol does have an above-average crime rate, which could explain why women in the South West are likely to purchase GAP. It is important to note that the number is not significantly higher than the urban average.

Yorkshire and the Humber – 4th for car accidents, 2nd, 4th, 5th for car crime

The high car crime and accident rates in Yorkshire and the Humber are strong factors as to why women living in the region are likely to purchase GAP Insurance. Three of the top five cities (Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield) for car crime are from the region and the region also comes fourth for road accidents in the UK. Bradford is of particular interest. Its urban centres, numerous built-up areas and high number of visiting cars have contributed to the city having the second highest car crime rate in the UK. Summary Looking at the overall data, car crime and car accidents are clearly factors that influence a woman’s decision on whether they need GAP Insurance. We can see how women who live in regions with a high population density are the most likely to purchase GAP, as crime and accidents are arguably more common in these areas, and presumably in the forefront of their minds. Click here to read more: Statistics ALA Connect.