Most common type of car accidents revealed
Australians need eyes in the back of their head as nose-to-tail accidents are the most common type of crash in Australia.
Australians are more likely to be rear-ended than have any other type of accident, new crash data from AAMI revealed.
The annual AAMI Crash Index, which analysed more than 360,000 accidents across Australia from July 2017 to June 2018, showed that 31% of all on road accidents involved a nose-to-tail collision, with this type of accident most prevalent in Victoria where it accounted for 33% of all accidents.
"Driver distraction continues to be the leading cause of car accidents in Australia and these common accident types are generally caused by people taking their eyes off the road or trying to multi-task while driving," AAMI spokesperson Ashleigh Paterson said in a statement.
Nose-to-tail collisions were the number one cause in all but two states, Tasmania and Northern Territory. In those states, the most common cause of car accidents was collisions with stationary objects.
How did your state fare?
| Type of accident | National | VIC | NSW | QLD | WA | SA | TAS | ACT | NT |
| Nose-to-tail collision | 31% | 33% | 31% | 30% | 28% | 25% | 17% | 32% | 19% |
| Failed to give way | 23% | 25% | 26% | 19% | 18% | 21% | 18% | 18% | 14% |
| Collision with stationary object | 18% | 16% | 17% | 22% | 23% | 24% | 29% | 19% | 31% |
| Collision while reversing | 12% | 12% | 11% | 13% | 14% | 12% | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| Collision with a parked car | 8% | 9% | 7% | 8% | 8% | 10% | 11% | 7% | 7% |
| Hit an animal | 6% | 4% | 6% | 7% | 6% | 8% | 11% | 11% | 13% |
| Other* | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 3% |
*Other claims relate to head on collisions, collisions with a pedestrian or cyclist, under body damage only, roll over and goods falling from vehicle.
With the holiday season almost upon us, this serves as a timely reminder to stay safe while you're on the roads. Road fatalities cost the economy $30 billion every year and according to the latest annual benchmarking of the National Road Safety Strategy from Australian Automobile Association (AAA), 1,213 people died on Australian roads in the 12 months to September 2018.
To try to stem the number of accidents, AAMI offered these tips:
- Avoid distractions like mobile phones and digital devices.
- Expect the unexpected from other occupants on the road.
- Leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front of you.
A recent study conducted by finder.com.au found that a whopping 70% of Australians admitted to engaging in risky behaviour while behind the wheel, most notably with 34% admitting to using their phone while driving.
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