Switzerland’s best drivers are in German-speaking cantons, says report

The insurance company AXA Winterthur took a database of the roughly 70,000 declared accidents that occur annually across Switzerland, and sorted them by canton to see which had the best driving record.

The rate of reported accidents was highest in Italian-speaking Ticino, which was ranked last, just behind Basel-City and Geneva. Next from the bottom were Valais and Vaud.

Higher traffic density in urban regions such as Geneva, Basel and parts of Vaud and Ticino increased the chance of an accident, said the report. Other risk factors cited include a preponderance of narrow roads (Valais) and a high number of leased vehicles. People with leased cars tend to report every accident, even tiny scrapes, said a spokesperson from the insurer.

Basel-City, Geneva, Vaud and Valais had 10% to 20% more reported accidents than the Swiss average.

At the other end of the scale were the cantons of Uri (1st), Nidwalden (2nd) and Luzern (3rd). Zurich ranked 18th.

Thomas Lang from AXA Winterthur reckons that even after accounting for traffic density, narrow roads and leasing, how people in different cantons behave behind the wheel has an impact on the number of collisions.

So do low-risk drivers in Uri subsidise their high-risk compatriots in Ticino?

Perhaps. However, AXA Winterthur charges drivers in Ticino more. A quick check on the insurer’s website reveals a price premium of between 10% and 12% for Ticino-based drivers compared to those based in Uri. Insurance for a manual petrol-powered Audi A3 registered in January 2016, would cost a 40-year-old Swiss male driver between CHF 843 and CHF 1,498 in Altdorf, Uri to insure, depending on the cover, and between CHF 925 and CHF 1,683 in Lugano, Ticino.

Specific cow collision cover was not mentioned for either location.

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Read AXA Winterthur article (in French) - Take a 5 minute French test now

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