Car-park prangs spike during the silly season
A timely reminder to keep your focus, calm and patience during this holiday season when hitting the shops for a last-minute dash, with the chance of an accident heightened.With the silly season well and truly upon us, it is a timely reminder to keep your calm if and when you decide to brave the crowds and hit the shopping centre for your last-minute gifts.
Car insurer AAMI has released research that reveals car-park prangs (unsurprisingly) spike in December. An analysis of almost 22,000 AAMI car-park insurance claims across the country from 1 December 2020 to 30 November 2021 revealed that the highest number of shopping centre car-park collisions occurred during December (2,554), followed closely by January (2,106).
The data revealed that there were around 40 per cent more car park crashes in December than the monthly average with the Melbourne suburb of Chadstone, home to one of the country’s largest shopping centres, also Australia’s worst hotspot for car park collisions.
Australia's worst suburbs for car park collisions
State | Suburb | Shopping centres |
VIC | Chadstone | Chadstone Shopping Centre |
NSW | Chatswood | Westfield Chatswood |
QLD | Maroochydore | Sunshine Plaza |
TAS | Glenorchy | Northgate Shopping Centre |
ACT | Belconnen | Westfield Belconnen |
WA | Midland | Midland Gate Shopping Centre |
SA | Modbury | Westfield Tea Tree Plaza |
From the data, it appears that Saturday is the worst day of the week for shopping centre car park collisions across the year. With afternoons between 12.00 pm and 4.00 pm the most common times for these crashes to occur throughout the week.
More than a third of shopping centre car park collisions included accidental damage to a parked car while the owner was away from it, such as car door dings. Almost a quarter involved a driver hitting a stationary object such as a bollard, shopping trolley, pillar or wall.
A quarter of shopping centre car park collisions occurred when at least one driver was reversing and one in ten shopping centre car park collisions involved an insured driver hitting a parked car.
AAMI Head of Motor Claims in Victoria and Tasmania Matthew Pugliese said that December is the busiest time of the year for shopping centres especially when we are all trying to find a car space.
“For those sick of online shopping, or grabbing those last-minute gifts, be prepared to battle it out for a car park with other Christmas shoppers. All-year-round drivers expect to find a car space typically within 3-5 minutes. During the festive period when car parks are busy we find that once we pass the 5-minute mark we start to feel annoyed and impatient, and the longer it takes, the more frustrated we become; then we’re at heightened risk of a prang.
“Our message to drivers this silly season who find themselves doing laps of the shopping centre carpark is to stay calm and avoid letting your emotions and impatience get the better of you. If we don’t keep these things in check this can quickly escalate to driving erratically, which as we know is how accidents happen.”
Worst suburbs for car park collisions by state
Victoria
Top Suburbs | 1. Chadstone |
2. Ringwood | |
3. Doncaster | |
Most common Accident Type | Accidental damage while parked |
Worst Day | Thursday |
Worst Time | Afternoon |
New South Wales
Top Suburbs | 1. Chatswood |
2. Hurstville | |
3. Brookvale | |
Most common Accident Type | Accidental damage while parked |
Worst Day | Saturday |
Worst Time | Afternoon |
Queensland
Top Suburbs | 1. Maroochydore |
2. Mackay | |
3. Indooroopilly | |
Most common Accident Type | Accidental damage while parked |
Worst Day | Wednesday |
Worst Time | Afternoon |
Western Australia
Top Suburbs | 1. Midland |
2. Baldivis | |
3. Innaloo | |
Most common Accident Type | Accidental damage while parked |
Worst Day | Saturday |
Worst Time | Afternoon |
ACT
Top Suburbs | 1. Belconnen |
2. Gungahlin | |
3. Fyshwick | |
Most common Accident Type | Accidental damage while parked |
Worst Day | Wednesday |
Worst Time | Afternoon |
South Australia
Top Suburbs | 1. Modbury |
2. Munno Para | |
3. Marion | |
Most common Accident Type | Accidental damage while parked |
Worst Day | Wednesday |
Worst Time | Afternoon |
Tasmania
Top Suburbs | 1. Glenorchy |
2. Kingston | |
3. Devonport | |
Most common Accident Type | Accidental damage while parked |
Worst Day | Saturday |
Worst Time | Afternoon |
Top tips for silly season shopping centre trips:
- Take your time when parking or reversing out of a car space
- Take particular care to watch out for children, especially when reversing
- Watch out for stationary objects including pillars and trolleys
- Don’t let impatience get the better of you and make sure you keep a safe distance between you and the car in front or reversing
- Resist the urge to park quickly, particularly in shopping centre car parks where turning circles are a lot tighter than they once were
- Avoid peak-times for shopping to avoid the crowds and increase your chances of finding a car park quickly
Related: The moment I realised that I needed to combat my road rage
Related: Where you should park your car according to maths
Related: What do I do if I’m in a car accident?
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