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Released: Wednesday 4th April 2007

"Black Wednesday" for Spring car crash peak

Wednesday is the new Friday when it comes to the most likely time for a car accident during the Spring, according to data released today.

Analysis of nearly 30,000 crashes in 2006 by Accident Exchange, a leading accident management company, found that the sixty minutes between 5-6pm on a Wednesday were the worst for bumps, scrapes and crashes during March, April and May.

Throughout the rest of the year, Friday is by far the worst day for travelling. In fact you're twice as likely to be involved in a crash on a Friday (17.10 percent of accidents) than a Sunday (8.9 percent).

However, during the spring, Wednesday becomes the most accident-laden day with 17.8 percent of recorded crashes, against 15.8 percent at the end of the working week.

Recorded accidents during spring by day of the week

Activity	Average Time
At roadside (if waiting for police/recovery)	2
Arrange hire car	2
Waiting for delivery of hire car	4
Visiting police station	1
Initial call to broker/insurer	2
Calls Third Party Insurer	3
Completing claims & associated forms	2.5
Getting garage/bodyshop estimates	4.5
General chasing insurer	2
Respond to letters from insurers	2
Chasing bodyshop	1.25
Collection of repaired vehicle	1
Returning hire car	1
TOTAL	28.25hrs / 3.5 days

In offering a possible explanation for the seasonal aberration, Brian Gregory, Chairman and founder of the Association of British Drivers, said: " Maybe there's an element of mid-week mini depression? Perhaps thoughts are not on the task of driving but thinking about last weekend or plans for the upcoming one". Mr. Gregory also added, "Another factor could be distraction from the changing scenery that comes with spring time."

The traditional rush hour commutes of 8am to 9am, and 5pm to 6pm, account for nearly a fifth of all accidents. Although, the dash home was statistically the worst, Accident Exchange found the morning journey was nearly a third more dangerous in the winter on average. In fact, 44 percent more crashes occur between 8-9am in the winter than the drier, brighter summer months.

Table showing the percentage of accidents during the rush hour

Season	Morning Rush Hour (8-9pm)	Evening Rush Hour (5-6pm)
Winter	11.5 percent	9 percent
Spring	8.15 percent	9.25 percent
Summer	8 percent	10 percent
Autumn	9.64 percent	11 percent

Source: AccidentExchange.com

The national data shows that only 1 in 5 accidents occur on a Saturday and Sunday. The hour between noon and 1pm was by far and away the worst throughout the year claiming more than 1 in 8 weekend bumps in total.

"It's clear that the British motorist is most at risk when they leave for work, or start the school run, in the morning," says Steve Evans, chief executive of Accident Exchange. "Even so, the factors contributing to a car accident are so numerous that it's impossible to predict the chances of actually being involved in one, however great or small."

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For further information please contact Andy Francis at Performance PR on 0208 541 3434 or 0787 981 3639 email: andy@performancepr.com

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