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'The average Briton has five lives'

The average Briton cheats death fives times during their lifetime, that's if you believe a new mortality report from More Than Life Insurance.

In the survey, topping the list of near-death experiences is having a potentially fatal car crash – 40pc of those interviewed claimed to have seen their lives flash before their eyes as a result of this scenario.

Other common escapes include almost getting struck by lightning (36pc), surviving a high voltage electric shock (32pc) and living through a serious natural disaster including high impact earthquakes or raging floods (29pc).

Similarly, almost a quarter of the 1,000 people surveyed (23pc) owe their lives to others – over 14 million Brits will step out in front of a bus at some point only to be pulled back at the crucial moment. Manchester is the most heroic city in the UK with 26pc of the occupants claiming to have been saved by a trusty friend.

While Brits aren't known to be the most religious bunch, More Than says that it seems we're not completely dismissive of omniscient higher powers – unconvinced that escapes from death are solely down to good luck, a spiritual 61pc of people believe they have a guardian angel who watches over and protects them.

What's more, half (49pc) of the over 60s surveyed hinted toward their psychic abilities by claiming to have had premonitions warning them away from potentially life-threatening situations. These premonitions manifest themselves as 'gut feelings', strange visions or unexplainable voices.

A More Than spokesman said: "Many Brits seem to have had a heck of a lot of lucky escapes. The purpose of this report wasn't to scare Brits or get them thinking about their mortality in a morbid way, but at the same time people need to realise they're not infallible. Amazingly the study revealed that over one third of Brits never take out life insurance."