March is set to be one of the busiest months of the year for retailers and bodyshops as new data shows it to be second only to November for accidents.

The evening rush-hour alone is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 accidents. And for drivers leaving the office at 5pm on the dot, there’s a surprising surge in accidents at 5pm.

The research revealed a 10-minute spike in accidents between 5pm and 5:10pm highlighting the need for accident aftercare services to help capture valuable bodyshop work during peak times.

February already saw snow and ice cause chaos on Britain’s roads, and winter is not over yet as March is second only to November as the busiest for car-to-car incidents.

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As well as being colder than average, November and March are among the wettest months of the year.

“With the downward pressures on new car sales, being in a position to proactively and sensitively support existing customers in a time of need is common-sense,” says Scott Hamilton-Cooper, Sales and Operations Director at AX. 

“The March spike provides a timely reminder that dealers without an accident assistance programme not only stand to lose valuable repair work, but risk losing customers altogether.”

The analysis of over 57,000 vehicle accidents managed by AX shows that the evening commute between 16:00 and 18:00 accounts for nearly a fifth of incidents on any given day. Almost 1 in 6 prangs in this two-hour period happen in the 10-minute period starting at 5pm.

The afternoon school-run period between 14:00 and 16:00 was found to be the second-busiest for accidents. Within the two-hour period, nearly 1 in 5 accidents took place between 15:00 and 15:10 – around the time of the school run.  

With 34% of accidents involving one car hitting the rear of another, a further 31% of incidents involve a moving car hitting a parked one as the driver loses control.

Hamilton-Cooper, said: “Braking distances double in the wet and can be up to 10 times longer in snowy or icy conditions.

“Workshops and bodyshops should make sure they are adequately stocked with spare parts and staffed well to deal with the surge in repair requests.”

Top Five types of winter road crashes

  1. Hit in rear - 34.25%
  2. Hit whilst parked - 31.51%
  3. Third party pulled in front of car - 12.88%
  4. Third party reversed into stationary car - 7.79%
  5. Lane Change - 6.70 %