DESPITE what old stereotypes may suggest, new research shows that van drivers are the safest in Britain.

For every 100,000 miles travelled, vans are involved in 3.8 times fewer accidents with injuries than cars.

Comparison site GoCompare wanted to find out how the UK public perceived different drivers and surveyed 2,000 UK adults to find out whether the stereotypes has survived, and which vehicles and drivers are the worst on the roads. As a result, they found out that BMW drivers were ranked the worst drivers in Yorkshire and Humberside, and that the perception of van drivers on the road is far more positive among young people (18-24) than it is among older generations.

The study suggests that perceptions of BMW drivers are most negative. Of those people surveyed, 24 percent consider them to be the worst on the road. In Yorkshire and Humberside 27.6% consider them to be the worst. In addition to this, Ferrari owners took the spot as the worst supercar drivers closely followed by Porsche.

BMW drivers are most disliked among van users with 32.8 percent topping the chart. The same attitude is reflected down by cyclists, car users and motorcycles.

The study also demonstrates that one out of 10 (8.5%) in the age group 18-24 year olds, thinks that van drivers are the worst. Compare that to the older generation from the age of 45-plus, where three out of 10 thinks that van drivers are the worst, suggests that the attitudes might be shifting in the younger generations.