Type and time of collisions impacted by Covid

Both the type and time of collisions changed last year, as driving habits changed according to Covid-19.

Rear-end collisions fell by a drastic 27%, according to analysis by AX of its latest accident data, with “Hit in rear” falling 5.6% to just 24.7% of all accidents handled by AX, while “Hit while parked” became the most common type of collision, accounting for nearly a third of the total.

Meanwhile, with millions of people working from home since the outbreak of Covid-19, AX’s data showed a shift in the peak time of day for accidents to occur. Usually, the evening commute between 5pm and 6pm experiences the highest accident rate, but last year the peak shifted to the school run rush hour between 3pm and 4pm.

Scott Hamilton-Cooper, director of sales and operations at AX, said: “It’s fascinating to see how the pandemic has impacted how and when collisions occur. For instance, our data shows a definite shift of incidents to early and mid-afternoon from the typical morning rush hour.

“Ordinarily, our data would show that November to March is when the greatest number of accidents occur – when the days are shorter, there’s more rainfall and, at times, wintery conditions can make the roads treacherous.

“However, the result of two national lockdowns, in addition to a change in vehicle congestion levels during this period, means our data will paint a very different picture this winter.”