Fleet World Workshop Tools
Car Tax Calculator
CO2 Calculator
Van Tax Calculator
BiK Rates Company Car Tax

‘Hit whilst parked’ becomes most common type of accident in 2020

‘Hit whilst parked’ was the most common type of collision in 2020, accounting for nearly a third of incidents last year.

‘Hit whilst parked” was the most common type of accident in 2020

AX, a specialist in accident management, analysed its latest accident data. The figures show that while all types of collisions fell last year, total rear-end collisions saw a particularly large fall of 27.0% compared to 2019. As a result, such collisions only held a 24.7% share in 2020, compared to 30.0% in 2019.

In contrast, the overall number of hit whilst parked incidents only fell 9.2% in the last year – and accounted for 30.3% of all accidents, up from 29.6%.

Although fewer journeys were made last year, AX believes safety technology such as automatic emergency braking (now equipped as standard on most new vehicles), could have played a part in reducing rear-end collisions.

Meanwhile, the smaller decline in ‘hit whilst parked’ incidents may be due to many vehicles spending more time parked up.

Top five types of accident:

2019 2020
Ranking Collision Type % of accidents Ranking Collision Type % of accidents
1 Hit in rear 30.0% 1 Hit whilst parked 30.3%
2 Hit whilst parked 29.6% 2 Hit in rear 24.7%
3 Third party pulled from side road 8.9% 3 Third party pulled from side road 9.2%
4 Third party reversed into client’s vehicle 7.2% 4 Third party reversed into client’s vehicle 7.6%
5 Lane change 5.7% 5 Lane change 5.6%

AX’s analysis also revealed how the pandemic has impacted when collisions have occurred throughout 2020.

Usually, the evening commute between 17:00 and 18:00 experiences the highest accident rate, but last year the peak shifted to the school run rush hour between 15:00 and 16:00. Although many offices were closed throughout the pandemic, schools remained open from September until Christmas.

Scott Hamilton-Cooper, director of sales and operations at AX, said: “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.”

For more of the latest industry news, click here.

Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.