Crash damage caused when the driver is not even in the car are the among most common form of insurance claims according to a new report.
The Royal Automobile Association data highlights that vehicle damage caused while it is parked is the most common reason for making a car insurance claim – accounting for more than 10,000 claims every year.
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The South Australian insurance provider and motoring association highlighted the top 10 most reasons for a car insurance claim and with ‘damaged while parked’ was the highest at 18 per cent of all motor claims.
This cause was followed by hit fixed object, (17 per cent), windscreen damage (16 per cent) and rear end collision (12 per cent).
Head of Claims at RAA Insurance Jess Lyons said the RAA received more than a thousand car insurance claims every week.
“In the 2022-23 financial year we paid out more than $250 million in car insurance claims,” Lyons says.
“The list of most common claim types makes for interesting reading – with the most common cause being vehicles damaged while they’re stationary.
“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.
“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.
“We also receive a lot of claims for damaged windscreens, which can be a real safety hazard, so we recommend getting these repaired as soon as possible.”
This article originally appeared on The National Collision Repairer.