Where do most car crashes happen in NZ?

New data from AMI Insurance has revealed the top ten suburbs where car crashes happen in New Zealand, with most of those being in Auckland.

The highest rates of collisions in the country were recorded in Auckland city centre with 6505 prangs happening between May 2020 and May 2023.

Second on the list is Christchurch city centre, where 5046 collisions occurred, while Henderson in West Auckland came in third with 3916 smashes.

Other accident-prone suburbs include Albany, Glenfield, East Tamaki, and Mount Wellington, which are all located in our nation’s biggest city.

Elsewhere, Mount Maunganui, central Dunedin and central Hamilton were also among the top ten places where people play bumper cars.

According to AMI, 40 per cent of all collisions occur between 1 pm and 6 pm when people finish work and end up in infuriating gridlock traffic.

“This rush hour period often sees gridlock and agitated driver behavior,” says AMI’s Executive General Manager Claims, Wayne Tippet.

“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 was in the late morning when the roads become relatively quiet.

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

“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.”

Data also shows that Friday is when car crashes are most likely to occur, followed by Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Saturday, Monday, and Sunday.