Day, time and type of road Irish drivers 'most likely' to crash
Afternoons, and rush-hour in particular, were the most dangerous times of the day in terms of the possibility of a crash, with 4-5pm the most risky time
Fridays, afternoons and secondary roads are the worst for days, times and areas for crash incidents in Ireland, according to research.
Online car insurance firm MCL has revealed data from 446 crash incidents among its black box policy-holders over a 20-month period, January 3, 2023 and September 3, 2024.
When it comes to the day of the week most likely to record a crash, Friday came out on top with 83 crash incidents, followed by Thursdays (74) and Saturdays (69).
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Afternoons, and rush-hour in particular, were the most dangerous times of the day in terms of the possibility of a crash, with 4-5pm the most risky time (46 incidents). There were a total of 155 crash reports between 3pm and 7pm. Early morning had the lowest number of crashes.
Secondary roads were by far the most dangerous location for crashes with 141 incidents reported.
This was approximately double the next road classification, with 70 incidents recorded on tertiary roads, and 72 on unclassified roads. Perhaps unsurprisingly, motorways reported the least number of crashes at just 10.
The data was recorded using black box intelligence or telematics devices. Telematics uses GPS and other technology to send information about the way a vehicle is being driven, including speed limit of the road, road type and road surface.
It rewards people who drive safely by monitoring the big five risk factors: speeding, driving smoothness (braking, acceleration and cornering), distance travelled, where travelling to, and when travelling. Sister company, Axon Telematics, has developed the innovative telematics technology used by MCL Insurance across its policies.
Last year, according to the Road Safety Authority (RSA), a total of 1,881 people died on our roads, the highest number since 2014.
Commenting on the findings, Gary McClarty, director of MCL Insurance, said: “It’s clear that Fridays, and weekends in general, evening rush hour, and secondary roads, are key factors when it comes to the incidence of road crashes among our policy-holders using black box devices.
“This would suggest that the risk of having a crash increases with higher traffic volumes in the evenings, when people are travelling home from work, or at weekends when more people are on the move travelling to events or going on trips. It is not surprising that motorways have the least number of crashes and secondary roads the most.
“Secondary roads are for the most part single carriageway, have more stops and intersections, can often be narrow and winding, and are sometimes poorly maintained, increasing the risk of a crash.”
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