Afternoon most dangerous time to be on QLD roads
Suncorp claims statistics reveal most injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents occur during the afternoon peak traffic.
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Queensland road users are more likely to be injured in a motor vehicle accident during the afternoon than at any other time of the day, according to new Suncorp research.
The findings also found Friday and Tuesday top the list for being the worst days of the week for motor vehicle accident injuries on QLD roads.
Suncorp analysed nearly 4,000 Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance claims in QLD from September 2016 to October 2017, to shine a light on the exact day and time when people were getting injured in motor vehicle accidents across the state.
| QLD* | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Worst day of week | Most dangerous time of week | % Accidents in afternoon |
| Brisbane | Friday | Afternoon | 26% |
| Gold Coast | Friday | Afternoon | 30% |
| Regional QLD | Tuesday | Afternoon | 30% |
Fridays are the most dangerous day for motor vehicle accident injuries in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, while Tuesday is the worst day to be on the roads in regional QLD.
“Most injuries on our roads are happening at the start and end of the working week, when commuters are rushing to get home. Friday afternoon is when people are often exhausted from the week and feeling impatient behind the wheel,” said Suncorp spokesperson Ashleigh Paterson.
“Failing to give way on the road and tailgating are often a result of impatient driving and are contributing factors to many of these accidents.”
In Brisbane a quarter (26 per cent) of all injury-causing accidents occur during the afternoon peak, while on the Gold Coast and in regional QLD the proportion is slightly higher with almost a third (30 per cent) of road users reporting some form of injury from a crash during this time.
“A lot of the time it can come down to drivers being distracted and not paying attention to what’s around them,” Ms Paterson said.
“A split-second loss of concentration or misjudgement is all it takes to cause an accident that can lead to devastating long-term injuries or worse. It affects more than just the injured people; it affects families and whole communities”.
When it comes to severity of injuries, more than half of all injury claims in Queensland are minor.
“A split-second loss of concentration or misjudgement is all it takes to cause an accident that can lead to devastating long-term injuries or worse. It affects more than just the injured people; it affects families and whole communities”.
Note to Editors:
*Data does not include at-fault drivers, except when they’ve suffered a catastrophic injury.
About CTP Insurance
Compulsory Third Party (CTP) Insurance is attached to the registration of your vehicle and provides protection to the at-fault driver against compensation claims from people injured in a motor vehicle accident.
If you’re the at-fault driver in a motor accident, CTP Insurance covers you against compensation claims made by people you have injured. These people include anybody injured as a result of the accident (except you if you’re the at-fault driver) who could be other drivers, passengers in your car and other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. If the person you have injured is unable to work, or needs medical treatment, your CTP insurer pays them out a lump sum that can cover their medical and rehabilitation treatment and/or loss of income related to the accident.
Examples of Injury types
CTP claims data is based on Abbreviated injury Score (AIS) scale of Injury.
- Minor (e.g. soft tissue injury/ whiplash)
- Moderate (e.g. fractured sternum)
- Serious (e.g. open fracture of humerus)
- Severe (e.g. perforated trachea)
- Critical (e.g. ruptured liver with tissue loss)
- Maximum (e.g. total severance of aorta)
