LET’S be honest, in a lifetime of driving all of us can expect to have at least one accident.

If you have been driving for a few years and haven’t been in a car accident, consider yourself lucky. Or overdue.

When it does happen the odds are that it will be nothing more an a minor shunt. If you are an average driver – and most of us are, whether we are prepared to admit it or not – the biggest dent will be to your pride.

Over the past six years vehicles owned and operated by Bradford Council have been involved in more than 1,000 crashes.

The authority’s insurers have paid out more than £1.3m in claims and repair costs.

That’s a lot of money.

As anyone who has ever claimed for an auto accident knows, premiums inevitably soar the following year, so we shudder to think how much more Bradford Council must be paying thanks to its accident record.

Of course, council employees are sometimes required to drive in extreme weather conditions.

Who would blame the driver of a snow plough or a gritter for losing control on a road made almost impassable by snow and ice? Certainly not us.

But for ordinary everyday council drivers perhaps the authority should invest more in advanced driver training before letting someone get behind the wheel? The Institute of Advanced Motorists runs courses specifically aimed at driving for work.

Better drivers lead to reduced operating costs, fewer insurance claims, less stress and a safer, more efficient fleet.