New Year road accidents double as rush hour sees extra cars
A leading car insurer has provided a forecast that the number of accidents on UK roads will double on Monday and Tuesday (4th & 5th January).
This is because extra cars will hit the first morning rush hour after the Christmas break.
The company said that it saw high accident claims and whiplash claims during the first two working days of 2009 and warns the same could happen in 2010.
This news becomes worrying when coupled with the fact that an extra 14.5 million school run journeys are expected when schools begin on the 4th & 5th January.
If the snow and ice returns, the company says the calls to the insurer could soar by over 60% to 3,300 in one day, as before, when the UK suffered heavy snow just before Christmas.
The usual number of accident and whiplash claims it processes during the winter months are on average 21% higher than the rest of the year.
However, the figures increase further at the very start of the New Year.
The company also says that drivers themselves are to blame in most of the cases. It commented: “They drive too fast for the conditions or don’t leave enough time to get through traffic jams, which often leads them to hurry and take risks that can result in accidents.
Updated on 04/01/2010