Churchill Car Insurance reports Dick Dastardly drives other ‘cartoon’ motorists up the wall

by Frances Browning

The outrageous antics of the mean and mischievous motorist and his sidekick Muttley put Dastardly way ahead of his cartoon counterparts when it comes to wreaking havoc on the roads, according to the Churchill study. The insurer looked at a whole range of popular cartoon characters, well-known for their driving skills – or lack of them - and reviewed their previous driving history and lifestyle indicators to determine who truly was the worst. 1.Dick Dastardly A professional rally driver with a criminal background, Dastardly is a seriously high risk driver. In every episode, he crashes the Mean Machine, a heavily modified rally car and persistently uses ruthless measures - including sabotage and reckless driving – to pursue his own self-centred aims. 2. Homer SimpsonA nuclear technician, with very little common sense, Homer’s past driving offences include road rage and sleeping behind the wheel. Worryingly, Homer has a history of health problems –including heart attacks – and he also suffers, amongst other things from, poor eyesight and obesity. He is often stopped by Chief Wigum for speeding and reckless driving and has built up an extremely poor claims record, especially after he drove his car off a cliff. In one episode he was even spotted driving with his head out of the window, as he couldn’t see out of the fogged up windscreen.3.Fred FlintstoneFred’s a frequent speeder. The start of every episode shows him speeding home from work - largely because he’s always late and in trouble with Wilma. He sometimes expects a bit too much from his vehicle – on one occasion overloading it with a large side of ribs, making the car topple over. Driving with bare feet makes him somewhat vulnerable – particularly as they’re the sole means of powering his car. 4.Cruella De Vil The only female to figure in Churchill’s rogue’s gallery, Cruella has a string of criminal convictions – the foremost of which is the theft of pedigree Dalmatian puppies. Her worst driving offence was trying to run another car off the road but as luck would have it her car skidded and ended up crashing down the side of a hill. 5.NoddyNoddy has a pretty poor accident record. His misdemeanours include driving his car into poor Big Ears’ bike and writing off Mr Polly’s red car. His vehicle maintenance record is also sadly lacking. His car regularly breaks down and when he tries to fix it himself, the job usually ends being botched up. Noddy also has had several encounters with Toyland’s policeman Mr Plod - , even being accused of theft on one occasion. He also has used his car as a taxi - taking money from friends in exchange for giving them a lift. 6.Dangermouse Dangermouse has five university degrees, including ones from Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard. He is a secret agent and uses his heavily modified, convertible car to carry out secret missions. A resident of 221B Baker Street - a very exclusive post code area - it’s likely that he also has diplomatic immunity. 7.Inspector GadgetLike Inspector Gadget’s body, his car - the Gadgetmobile - is also fully loaded. In conventional terms, its arsenal of gadgets – which include a smoke screen, winch and the ability to drop a trail of tracks - would undoubtedly be considered ‘unacceptable modifications’ 8.Postman PatA pillar of the local community, Postman Pat competes in the Greendale rally in his spare time. He often carries expensive items in his van and would have had to make an insurance claim when the keys were stolen by hens. 9.Scooby DooDriven by sensible Freddy who is only 16, the left-hand drive van used to transport Scooby Doo and the team would have a high annual mileage as it’s regularly driven to isolated areas, such as haunted houses, to try to track down ‘criminals’. People also are frequently ‘bundled’ into it - which is plainly unsafe.10.Mickey MouseAt first glance, he seems like a sensible family man, but underneath that exterior, Mickey does have a passion for speed and driving a convertible. Darren McCauley, Head of Car Insurance at Churchill, said; “These crazy cartoon characters provide us with some great entertainment and it’s fun to watch their antics on screen. What’s clear from our analysis however is that there are some distinct parallels between their madcap driving behaviour and some of the bad habits we actually see practised on our nation’s roads. The big difference between these characters and real-life situations, however, is that no-one actually ever gets hurt.”For more information please contact:Frances BrowningChurchill Insurance020 8313 5965pressoffice@churchill.com

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