According to insurance claims, car accidents peak at this particular time of day – and it is NOT rush hour
- Allianz says it is currently receiving the highest number of damage claims
Motorists, and parents in particular, are being warned to be extra vigilant at a certain time of day after insurance claims data revealed a spike in accidents at that time.
Insurer Allianz says it received the most claims for road accidents on weekdays around this time last year. And we’re not talking about the usual rush hour of 8am to 6pm.
The period when drivers are most at risk is around 3:00 p.m. This is the time when people are quickest to pick up their children from school.
According to Allianz, most accidents happen around 3pm, suggesting accidents are more likely to occur as parents rush to pick up their children from school.
The provider said it received more than 10,300 claims in 2023 for car accidents during school rush hour — the peak time of the day — which it calls “crash hour.”
In contrast, less than half the number of claims (4,500) were filed at 6:30 p.m. and there were approximately 1,600 claims at 8:30 p.m.
The figures show that accidents occur more frequently during rush hour in the afternoon. This is because there are busy roads, parents are in a hurry, children in the car cause distraction and there are many pedestrians. These are all possible reasons for the increase in the number of incidents and the total compensation payments.
Allianz said the 3pm crashes cost £51m last year, up £7m from 2022.
However, with the cost of repairs and parts having risen recently, the insurer says claims for Accidents occurring at 6.30pm also rose by £8m year-on-year, to a total of £27m in 2023.
While the afternoon rush hour is a place where many accidents happen, the morning rush hour is a different story.
Only half (5,482) of the number of accidents occurred at 8am compared to 3pm.
Allianz does not provide evidence, but believes this could be due to “greater alertness in the morning” compared to later in the day.
Last year the average cost of a claim for damage from an accident was around £6,200. Claims at 3pm cost around £5,300.
Caroline Johnson, claims director at Allianz personal lines business, said: ‘Our data shows interesting patterns in the frequency and severity of claims, with a particularly high number of minor accidents on the roads in the afternoon.
‘There may be even more distractions during this time, such as an increase in pedestrians and cyclists, excited children in the car and even the desire to get home quickly after work.’