DRIVERS in the North-East are the best in Britain.

The research, undertaken by the Direct Line insurance company, questioned 10,000 motorists about driving behaviours such as speed, braking and smoothness of acceleration.

When all categories were combined North-Eastern motorists were by far the safest, followed by Scottish drivers in second and those from Eastern England third.

Yorkshire drivers were the third worst in Britain.

Direct Line spokesman Paul Felton said: “It’s great to see that drivers in the North-East are looking after their cars, other road users and themselves.”

Safety categories were combined in an index which gave a numerical ‘safety rating’ to each region.

Compared to the British average of 100, drivers in the North-East were given a safety rating of 112.

Scotland had a safety rating of 103.5 and Eastern England, 103.2.

According to the study, the worst drivers are to be found in the South East, followed by the South West and then Yorkshire.

London drivers ranked just below the British average with a safety rating of 99.5.