car crash - front bumper

Crash hour: car accidents peak around 3pm school pick-up

Posted: 2 September 2024

Allianz last year received more than 10,300 claims for car accidents during the weekday rush hour - the highest peak in the day. In contrast, less than half the number of claims (4,500) occurred at 6.30pm and around 1,600 claims happened at 8.30pm.

The figures indicate accidents are more common during the afternoon rush hour with busy roads, parents in a hurry, children in the car causing distraction and a surge of pedestrians all potential reasons for the increase.

The insurer paid out £51 million for accidents that happened at 3pm last year, an increase of £7 million compared to 2022. In comparison, claims for accidents that happened at 6.30pm cost £27 million, an increase of £6 million from 2022.

Despite the afternoon rush hour being an accident hot spot, the morning rush hour tells a different story. Only half (5,482) as many accidents occurred at 8am compared to 3pm, possibly down to increased levels of alertness first thing in the morning compared to later on in the day. The average cost of an accidental damage claim was around £6,200 last year during this time, with 3pm claims costing around £5,300.

Caroline Johnson, Claims Director at Allianz personal lines business said:

“Our data has highlighted interesting patterns in the frequency and severity of claims, and mid-late afternoons on the road seem to be a real hot spot for minor accidents. There can be a number of additional distractions at this time, from increased numbers of pedestrians and cyclists, to having excitable children in the car, and even just that determination to get home quickly after work.

“At Allianz, we want people to be as safe as they possibly can on the roads, and a heightened awareness of these trickier travel times and how to navigate them confidently is the way to go. It can be too easy to pull out quickly from a road when in a rush, or make a little error when reversing under pressure, so trying to make extra time on your journey may make the difference to ensuring accidents don’t happen.”

About Allianz Holdings plc

Allianz Holdings plc is the non-regulated holding company which owns the principal insurance operations of Allianz SE in Great Britain including Allianz Insurance. 

About Allianz 

The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with around 125 million* private and corporate customers in nearly 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 741 billion euros** on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage about 1.8 trillion euros** of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are among the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2023, over 157,000 employees achieved total business volume of 161.7 billion euros and an operating profit of 14.7 billion euros for the group.

* Including non-consolidated entities with Allianz customers.

**As of June 30, 2024.

Mandatory corporate information: Corporate disclosures

These assessments are, as always, subject to the disclaimer provided below.

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This document includes forward-looking statements, such as prospects or expectations, that are based on management's current views and assumptions and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results, performance figures, or events may differ significantly from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements.

Deviations may arise due to changes in factors including, but not limited to, the following: (i) the general economic and competitive situation in the Allianz’s core business and core markets, (ii) the performance of financial markets (in particular market volatility, liquidity, and credit events), (iii) adverse publicity, regulatory actions or litigation with respect to the Allianz Group, other well-known companies and the financial services industry generally, (iv) the frequency and severity of insured loss events, including those resulting from natural catastrophes, and the development of loss expenses, (v) mortality and morbidity levels and trends, (vi) persistency levels, (vii) the extent of credit defaults, (viii) interest rate levels, (ix) currency exchange rates, most notably the EUR/USD exchange rate, (x) changes in laws and regulations, including tax regulations, (xi) the impact of acquisitions including related integration issues and reorganization measures, and (xii) the general competitive conditions that, in each individual case, apply at a local, regional, national, and/or global level. Many of these changes can be exacerbated by terrorist activities.

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Natasha Gibbs, External Communications Manager, natasha.gibbs@allianz.co.uk +44 7443 237651

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1 Claim data for motorbike couriers / delivery drivers insurance fraud detected – increased by 6250%

2 Hot spots in order of cases received by LV=, based on data from 2023

More information can be found here: Everything To Know About Insurance Fraud | LV=