Vehicle accidents 9 percent higher in winter and autumn than in summer and spring

LeasePlan has analysed the accident rate over the last four years, with the aim of offering a series of recommendations to users about the risks on roads and highways as they begin their holidays.

The company specialising in Car as a Service (CaaS) has found that "the peaks in accident rates during the year are not in the summer months", as Fernando Cisneros, Head of Road Safety, emphasises. Thus, "the weather and the large number of short journeys during the winter and autumn months mean that we have more road accidents during this period: 9% more than in spring and summer".

The study carried out by LeasePlan shows that, during the year, the number of journeys made by company fleets is higher than in the private car segment, due to the fact that the former is linked to a professional activity. However, during the summer months, these two peculiarities occur:

The injury ratio is higher than in the spring: 4% more injuries from Monday to Friday; and most notably, there are 22% more accidents of this type on weekends. Although July is the month with the highest number of trips that generate accidents, it is August and, above all, September that generate the most injuries: 4% and 14%, respectively, compared to July.

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  The injury ratio is higher than in the spring: 4% more injuries from Monday to Friday; and most notably, there are 22% more accidents of this type on weekends.
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  Although July is the month with the highest number of trips that generate accidents, it is August and, above all, September that generate the most injuries: 4% and 14%, respectively, compared to July.

Injuries resulting from road accidents are the greatest indicator of risk in traffic. For this reason, LeasePlan recommends taking all kinds of precautionary measures: not exceeding speed limits, avoiding tiredness when driving and the hottest hours, keeping a safe distance, checking tyre pressure before long journeys, parking the mobile phone, checking the route before starting the journey, being alert while driving, especially on conventional roads, where there is the greatest risk of serious accidents.

On the other hand, drivers' perception of risk has dropped as a result of the pandemic and, although LeasePlan has better indicators than in 2018 and 2019 during the first quarter of this year - 17% and 14% respectively - it recommends not lowering our guard and insisting on the precautionary messages to all drivers. For this study, more than 30,000 traffic accidents with civil liability corresponding to the passenger car segment have been analysed, which are the main recipients of holiday trips. This circumstance does not prevent LeasePlan from insisting on the need for caution regarding fleets of vans and derivatives of passenger cars, which support distribution, supplies and services in many holiday destinations during these months. These destinations, on the other hand, where Monday journeys on conventional roads generate the greatest risk of accidents involving this type of vehicle. Nor should we forget all delivery activity in the urban environment, with special attention to pedestrians and cyclists.

This study is part of LeasePlan's SafePlan Zero initiative, which aims to improve the safety of its customers' fleet and also to set an example to other drivers. A pragmatic approach to achieve driving safety objectives. It is working on three lines: Safe Driver, Safe Car and Safe Fleet.

LeasePlan believes that employers are responsible for the health and safety of their employees, so it is everyone's responsibility to bring about a change in road safety. That is why at LeasePlan, we have the firm ambition to achieve zero serious injuries on the roads by 2030. The figure of 1.35 million fatalities per year on the world's roads "cannot leave us indifferent".