Parked Cars Top List of Insurance Claims
Recent data suggests that drivers should be more concerned about their vehicles being hit while parked than while driving. According to the Royal Automobile Association (RAA), vehicles damaged while stationary account for a significant portion of motor-related insurance claims.
The RAA’s data reveals that vehicles hit while parked in car parks or on streets represent the most common reason for insurance claims. This accounts for over 10,000 (approximately 18%) of the RAA’s motor-related insurance claims made annually. Fixed object collisions come in second, representing 17% of the claims; this is followed by windscreen damage at 16% and rear-end collisions at 12%.
“Having your vehicle hit while parked is unfortunate and often out of your control – so you probably don’t want to be footing the repair bill yourself,” Head of Claims at RAA Insurance, Jess Lyons, stated. “In this instance, we always recommend getting the details of the driver who hit you if you can, so your insurer can help you investigate potentially having your excess waived if you weren’t at fault. If you’re the one who hits a parked car, you must stop and provide your details or report the incident to the police.”
Leading Australian insurance company, AAMI Insurance, also published research late last year. They found that between December 1, 2022, and November 30, 2023, over 23,000 car park insurance claims were submitted, which is up 22% compared to the yearly average. Many of these incidents occurred in shopping centre car parks. Data from AAMI show December to be the worst month for incidents during the period, with 2,423 claims submitted. January saw a slight decline with 2,053 claims.
