According to the latest research from the Accident Exchange, over 6% of the accidents that occur on the roads of the UK are the results of manoeuvres in changing lanes, and damaged is caused to vehicles that amounts to over £437m a year. The leading company in accident management studied over 50,000 accidents, and also shows the number of collisions during lane changes has risen by 48% in only 2 years.
The majority of cases are caused by the driver who is at fault by them not indicating as they change lanes and subsequently collide with another vehicle. Other typical causes are driving without paying due care and attention and poor visibility at the side or to the rear.
The new data from the Accident Exchange also suggest that the amount of accidents that occur during lane changes now tops 152,000. The average cost of repairs in each accident is £2,876, and this figure is greatly inflated when you add on the financial impact on the emergency services and the lost hours at work caused by having to deal with insurance companies and garages.
In 2010 there was as estimated 2.5m accidents on the roads of the UK. Figures from the Department of Transport show that the contributory factor most reported for an accident is not checking for another vehicle. The large door pillars on modern cars that give poor all round visibility make matters even more difficult.
In the majority of incidents, the ‘at fault’ party moved from the right to the left, striking the driver’s side of the innocent motorist’s car.
“The sharp rise in drivers seemingly unaware of the presence of another vehicle in an adjacent lane is pretty startling,” said Lee Woodley of Accident Exchange.
“Today’s cars are packed with ‘active’ safety equipment, but for some vehicles strengthened frames can mean reduced visibility and larger blind-spots. Older cars tend to have slimmer pillars which don’t obscure the driver’s view to the side or rear as much. This is certainly part of the problem.”
In 2005, the Driving Standards Agency, which regulates driving tests, took the step of banning the new Mini Convertible because examiners complained about its poor rear visibility.
Last year, Which? Car compiled a list of the best and worst cars for visibility in which the Smart ForTwo Coupe came top, and the Porsche Boxter came last.
The Accident Exchange research was based on 50,000 claims handled between 2009 and June 2011.
