Friday is the day that sees the highest number of motor collision claims in Canada, and accidents in general are on the rise nationally, a new report has found.
The annual
Allstate Canada Safe Driving study, which uses the insurer’s data, found that Fridays are a bad day for collision claims across almost all categories.
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Just under one-fifth of multi-vehicle crashes involving a chain reaction occur on a Friday, followed by 18% of lane-change accidents and vehicles that are rear-ended.
Overall, Fridays account for 17% of all claims nationwide, the report found.
“Our latest findings reinforce that Friday continues to be a treacherous day on the road, spanning minor and major collisions – many of which could be avoided,” said Dave MacInnis, vice president, product operations, at Allstate Insurance Company of Canada.
“While our data is not able to identify specific reasons as to why collisions are up, or why more take place on Fridays, we suspect that various factors, such as increased traffic, inclement weather, and distracted driving may contribute to the heightened rate of claims.”
Meanwhile, the most dangerous day for pedestrians and cyclists in particular, is Wednesday, the report found, when 17% of such collisions take place.
Overall, there has been an increase in collision claims across the country of 1.7% compared to the previous study last year, though there were variations from province to province.
For the second time in a row, Nova Scotia had the highest collision frequency rate, rising from 5.42% to 6.39%, compared to 5.7% nationally.
Ontario came a close second with a rise from 5.59% to 5.79%, while New Brunswick had the lowest collision frequency rate at 5.13%.
“Last year’s Safe Driving Study identified a trend towards rising collisions, and the latest study demonstrates that this has not changed,” MacInnis commented.
“Each year, we investigate our claims data to identify important developments in driving. We feel it’s essential to share our findings with Canadians, to encourage conversation about what it means to be a safe driver.”
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