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How the month you sit your test could affect your chance of passing ... and your chance of crashing too

Passing your driving test is a rite of passage for every motorist, but new research suggests that the month you pass could affect how well you drive.

More motorists pass their driving test in August than any other month, according to the research by leading insurance specialist Admiral, however there is a down side to this, as they are also the most likely to be involved in an accident.

Admiral looked at data from half a million motorists and found a correlation between the month they passed and the likelihood of them having an accident. Anyone sitting their test this month should be warned that December has the least number of people passing, but these drivers are also the ones least likely to have an accident.

Admiral managing director, Sue Longthorn said, "When we compared the statistics of when motorists passed their tests with the frequency of accidents those people had, we were surprised to see that there definitely was a pattern. More people passed in August, yet these people had the highest frequency of road accidents; whereas the complete opposite was true for December.

"There doesn't seem to be much seasonal good cheer around the testing centres this month! On balance, I'd say the best month to sit your test is January, which has a reasonably high pass rate combined with a fairly low accident rate."

Some other months, including March and September, also had a high pass rate and a high accident rate, while June and November both had lower pass and lower accident rates.

As part of its Annual Drivers Survey, Admiral also found that just over half of all motorists passed their driving test first time. For 6% it took four or more attempts to pass. Men are more likely than women to pass first time, with 59% of them doing so, compared with 46% of women.

Sue Longthorn commenting on these results said, "I don't want to add to the debate on which gender is better at driving but there is no evidence to suggest that those people who pass their test first time are better drivers.

"I passed my driving test on my third attempt, and I have a very good driving record!"

Table shows the pass rate by month and accident frequency of people who pass in each month

Issue date: 05-12-07