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Insurer AAMI has revealed the most common accident types across Australia, as a timely reminder for motorists to pay more attention behind the wheel this holiday season.
An analysis of AAMI’s national claims data, covering 360,000 accident-related claims the insurer received from July 2017 to June 2018, showed that majority of accidents were due to nose-to-tail collision, at 31%, followed by failing to give way (23%), and collision with a stationary object (18%).
“Driver distraction continues to be the leading cause of car accidents in Australia, and these common accident types are generally caused by people taking their eyes off the road or trying to multi-task while driving,” said Ashleigh Paterson, AAMI spokesperson.
Paterson warned that a split second of inattention could be deadly.
“Victorian motorists are involved in more nose-to-tail collisions compared to motorists across the country, which is often linked to ‘tailgating’ in highly-congested areas during peak travel periods,” Paterson said. “New South Wales motorists are more likely to be involved in prangs from failing to give way compared to drivers in the rest of the country, which can often be linked to impatient driving and lapses in judgement.”
The annual AAMI Crash Index showed that the biggest difference at a state level compared to the rest of the nation was the amount of collisions with a stationary object. Thirty-one percent of collisions in the Northern Territory are with a stationary object, compared to 18% of all collisions nationally.
“While most accident types increased year-on-year, pleasingly the percentage of accidents caused by collision with a stationary object and collision with an animal decreased when compared to previous years,” Paterson said.
The analysis also found 1pm-4.30pm as the most common time of the day for accidents in Australia, with 27% of all crashes occurring at that time, which could be linked to school pickups. This is followed by the morning commute from 9.30am-1pm, with 24% of all crashes occurring, then the evening peak from 4.30pm-8pm, with 20% of all crashes happening then.
Friday was found to be the most common day of the week for car accidents, with 16% of all accidents occurring then; while Sunday was the day when people are least likely to have an accident, with only 10% of accidents occurring on that day.
“We are encouraging all drivers to avoid distractions like mobile and digital devices, expect the unexpected from other occupants on the road, and leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front of you,” Paterson said.
