Bad drivers remain the biggest reason behind UK road accidents, according to research published by telematics supplier Masternaut.

The report analysed 192,503,863 kilometres driven, over the duration of 4,121,283 driving hours.

It found the five biggest risks were bad drivers, road type, shift length, sun position and day of the week.

Dhruv Parekh, chief executive officer of Masternaut, said: “With a majority of drivers claiming to be better than average, it’s interesting to see once again that it’s behavior which is the key influencer in road accidents.

“However, as we head into the darkest time of the year, all drivers need to be conscious of planning their journeys where possible to use the safest roads, and travel for safe lengths of time, at the safest times of the day.

“For businesses planning shift patterns, this is particularly important, with those driving for work being one of the highest risk groups on the road.”

According to the report, the top five biggest risks are

• Bad drivers: Harsh braking selected as the most significant sign of a bad driver, followed by harsh cornering and speeding.
• Road type: Road type accounts for the second biggest factor in likelihood of an accident occurring. Although motorways are widely seen as the safest roads, with urban roads being selected as the most dangerous and likely to cause an accident.
• Shift hour: The report shows that a driver performs 50% more harsh braking during their last hour of driving when compared to their first hour, which suggests fleet managers and drivers should plan regular stopovers or driving breaks.
• Sun position: There is a 13.9% higher rate of harsh braking when the sun is prominent. The frequency of harsh braking decreases during rain and snow as drivers drive more carefully.
• Day of the week: On weekdays, harsh braking remains consistent, but increases drastically (by 21%) at weekends.

Earlier this year, Britain’s worst drivers have been revealed, with Halifax having the most motorists with penalty points on their licence, according to exclusive research by Vantage Leasing.

Department for Transport (DfT) analysis found that 9.62% of the 111,820 licence holders in the area have at least one point on their driving license..