More than one in 10 (13%) GPs have made at least one at-fault claim in the past three years, more than double the national average across all occupations, a new study from Gocompare.com Car Insurance found.

The research also revealed that health and medical professionals – such as midwives, chiropodists and optometrists – were more likely to have an at-fault accident than drivers of other occupations.

The national average across all occupations is 6% and the other occupations with higher claims include police officers (8%), journalists (8%), barrister (9%), baggage handlers (9%) and ministers of religion (8%).

Those working in insurance also tended to have more claims than other occupations. On average nearly one in 10 of drivers working in insurance-based professions had made an at-fault claim.

Statistically, the best drivers in the UK are abattoir workers, with just one in 100 workers having an at-fault claim.

Other occupations with a lower proportion of claims than the national average include: van drivers (4%), construction workers (3%), couriers (5%) scaffolders (4%), milkman (5%) and footballers (5%).

Professor Andrew Smith, expert on occupational and health psychology from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, said: “The medical profession is typically regarded as highly stressful and stress can have a dramatic effect on people’s cognitive functions and overall health.

“When people experience particularly high stress levels, it’s common for them to become especially clumsy or absent minded as they struggle to concentrate on tasks. While the symptoms of stress can be a serious thing in any context, it can be a potentially dangerous when behind the wheel.”