Insurance claims from vehicle collisions most likely when parked – data
Fresh research suggests we should be more worried about our car being involved in an accident when we're not in it, rather than when we're driving.
Having your car hit while parked the most common reason for making an insurance claim, new data has revealed.
According to the Royal Automobile Association (RAA), vehicles hit while stationary in a car park or on the street accounts for more than 10,000 (roughly 18 per cent) of the motor-related RAA insurance claims made every year.
Of the South Australian organisation’s top 10 most common reasons for making a car insurance claim, vehicles damaged while parked is at the top, followed by collisions with fixed objects (17 per cent), windscreen damage (16 per cent) and rear-end collisions (12 per cent).
“In the 2022-23 financial year we paid out more than $250 million in car insurance claims,”
“Having your vehicle hit while parked is unfortunate and often out of your control – so you probably don’t want to be footing the repair bill yourself,” Head of Claims at RAA Insurance, Jess Lyons, said.
“In this instance, we always recommend getting the details of the driver who hit you if you can, so your insurer can help you investigate potentially having your excess waived if you weren’t at fault.
“If you’re the one who hits a parked car, you must stop and provide your details or report the incident to the police.”
Research from leading Australian insurance company AAMI Insurance late last year also found that more than 23,000 car park insurance claims were submitted between 1 December 2022 and 30 November 2023, up 22 per cent on the yearly average – with many taking place in shopping centre car parks.
AAMI's data indicated the month of December was the worst during that period due to the Christmas rush with 2423 incidents taking place, followed by a slight decline in January with 2053 claims.