A look at the stark death toll on New Zealand roads over the years. Video / NZ Herald
New Zealand's top 10 car-crash suburbs have been revealed, with Auckland central, Christchurch central and the West Auckland suburb of Henderson claiming the unfortunate honours.
The beachside town of Mt Maunganui, with its flyovers and off-ramps, and east Auckland's busy Mt Wellington also made the top five.
The new data, gleaned from claims information from State Insurance, shows there were 831 claims made resulting from collisions in Auckland central made in 2020.
There were 512 crashes in Christchurch and 478 in Henderson in the same period.
The multiple lanes and congestion on Lincoln Road in Henderson may have contributed to the suburb's high-crash rate. Photo / Michael Craig
People were more likely to crash between 1pm-6pm, when roads were at their busiest with after-school and work traffic.
Busy intersections, merging traffic, congestion and distracted drivers were a dangerous mix said State's executive general manager of claims, Wayne Tippet.
He said the latest data showed the importance of putting safety first when driving.
"Regardless of your age, driving experience or time of day that you're on the road - safety has got to be the number one priority for all of us when we get behind the wheel," he said.
"Our claims data shows that most of the collisions are happening in busy centres at busy times of the day, and while it's tempting to multi-task while sitting in slow-moving traffic or speed through an intersection as the lights are turning red - it's not worth it."
Wayne Tippet said most crashes could be avoided if people paid more attention at major intersections and when merging. Photo / Supplied
Tippet said extra care needed to be taken at major intersections and roads where cars merge.
The top three crash suburbs are known for multiple intersections and heavy traffic volume.
Henderson's busy Lincoln Rd runs right through the suburb joining the motorway to a major intersection with 34 fast-food distractions along the way.
The call for extra caution comes as a recent survey by State and Ipsos revealed that only 44 per cent of Kiwi drivers have considered the value of their vehicle in the past 12 months, and only 48 per cent knew the replacement cost if it was written off or stolen.
The same survey showed that only 64 per cent of car owners were confident their vehicle replacement cover matches their vehicle's current market value.
Tippet said the findings were important because the price of second-hand cars had increased since Covid-19 hit.
New car production had slowed because of a global shortage of computer chips so buyers were turning more to the used car market.
Tippet said car owners should check their insurance details to make sure they were fully covered.
"To ensure there is enough cover in place to replace their vehicle against its current market value, in the event of a total loss."
• Stop where it is safe to do so and make sure everyone's okay. • Exchange details with the other driver including the other driver's name, address, phone number, email, license number, and vehicle registration number. • Take photographs of all damage. • Check if the other party has insurance and encourage them to lodge a claim also. • Take a note of their insurance company if they know it. • Collect the details of any witnesses. • Contact your insurer to lodge your claim.
Top 10 car collision locations around New Zealand
Auckland Central (831) Christchurch Central (512) Henderson (478) Mount Maunganui (397) Mount Wellington (355) Palmerston North (347) Albany (344) Dunedin Central (304) Hamilton Central (295) Hutt Central (286) (Based on State Insurance motor claims in 2020)
