These are the most crash-prone suburbs and cities in NZ

Wednesday, 2 August 2023

Auckland is the most crash-prone city in New Zealand, which might not come as much of a surprise.

Some areas of the country are more dangerous to drive in than others, and we’re not just talking about strips of tricky country roads or poorly designed intersections. AMI Insurance has taken a look at its claims data and found the top 10 most collision-prone suburbs in the country.

According to the data, Auckland city centre, Christchurch city centre, and Henderson in West Auckland have the highest collision rates in New Zealand.

Rush hour in the afternoon is when most crashes happen.

Other areas on the Top 10 List include Albany, Glenfield, Mount Maunganui, East Tamaki, central Dunedin, Mount Wellington, and central Hamilton.

AMI’s Executive General Manger Claims, Wayne Tippet said: “This rush hour period often sees gridlock and agitated driver behaviour.

“Traffic can be frustrating, but you should always remain calm and alert to ensure you make smart, responsible decisions.

“Interestingly, the second-busiest period for collisions is late morning, which tends to be a much quieter time on the roads.

According to AMI, a lot of collisions happen when drivers fail to stop.

“Most of those collisions happen in car parks when shoppers are catching the quieter periods.

“We also see many claims during this period where drivers fail to stop or mistake a light as green for their lane. This points to the importance of remaining alert and conscious of safety, even if the roads are quieter.

“Often the late morning collisions are between drivers who have held a license for more than a decade. Even if you have years of experience on the road, you should never become complacent behind the wheel.”

AMI also found that 16% of all collisions occur on a Friday, followed by Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Saturday, Monday, and Sunday.

Additionally, the data revealed that Auckland is easily the most crash-prone city in the country, with 33.9% of claims. Second was Christchurch city (10.9%), then Wellington City (4.8%), Hamilton City (4%), Tauranga City (3.4%), Dunedin City (2.7%), Lower Hutt City (2.3%), Whangarei District (1.9%), Palmerston North City (1.8%), and New Plymouth District (1.5%).