Christmas shoppers beware on December 19th

Christmas shoppers need to be on their guard on December 19th - as that's the worst day for car claims, Virgin Money Car Insurance figures show.

The last Saturday before Christmas is set to be the most dangerous day for drivers with around 40% more claims than average, Virgin Money Car Insurance analysis shows.

Its claim figures put December 19th as the worst day in the month for car insurance claims including accidents and thefts from vehicles and experts believe that is down to the late shopping rush as more drivers take to the roads with more presents in cars.

But festive spirit reigns on Christmas Day and Boxing Day which are the two safest days on the road in December. Insurance claims on Christmas Day are a seventh of the average while Boxing Day claims are less than half the average.

Grant Bather, spokesman at Virgin Money, said: "Christmas is a time for giving but maybe drivers should be giving the car a miss on December 19th if they want to keep their no-claims bonus.

"With more drivers on the road and cars potentially loaded up with presents it can be a dangerous time for claims. However it is good to see that Christmas Day and Boxing Day are safe times to be on the road.

"With the start of many sales on Boxing Day and people travelling to see families you might have expected a spike in claims but in fact it's the second quietest day of the month."

Christmas Eve claims are slightly below average for the month while New Year's Eve claims are just slightly above average, Virgin Money says.

Its research shows the worst day of the year is October 19th as the clocks go back and that most car claims occur in the final three months of the year, accounting for 30% of all claims.