New Zealand has one of the highest car ownership rates in the world with over 4.5 million vehicles registered on our roads, unfortunately this is also matched with a very high national average car accident rate.
When people think about car crashes, bad behaviour including excessive speed, reckless and drunk driving springs to mind. However, most traffic accidents generally involve everyday people going about their everyday business; whether it’s a car park fender-bender or a more serious crash there can be as little as a split second between a near miss and an impact.
Unfortunately, most NZ roads are not world-class and combined with any one of the wide range of common driver errors, accidents do happen – a lot! A recent AA study found that in three quarters of crashes where vehicle occupants were seriously injured the drivers were generally following the road rules, but they made a mistake or a poor decision, or something unexpected happened.1
Driver distraction (you’re not concentrating!) was recently recognised as the most common cause of accidents amongst those who drive for a living . This research found that nearly 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within the 3 seconds before impact, activities such as mobile phone use and drowsiness were the primary cause of driver inattention.2
Vehicle safety starts with the vehicle; a 5-star safety rating is best. Car construction now includes a mind-boggling range of advanced technology and safety features to protect us when accidents do occur. Unfortunately, NZ is a bit behind the eight ball in this area, with a national average vehicle age of 14 years, we compare poorly with Australia’s 10 yr old average and Japan’s 8 years. Older vehicles are perfectly serviceable, but often aren’t equipped with modern safety features so won’t perform as well on the road or in a serious crash.
Most drivers are careful drivers – no one wants to have an accident. But what happens if we do have a crash? Car damage claims involve an enormous amount of inconvenience, frustration, and cost! There is only so much your insurance company can do. They’ll lodge the claim, appoint an assessor and pay the panelbeater. Customers are left to organise quotes, wait for service bookings, negotiate and pay for a courtesy car, and organise everything. This is where Boost Supplier Crash Management comes in, they’re the friend you need – before you need them.
The Crash Management service is available 24/7 nationwide and one quick call to 0800 2CRASH is all it takes for the Crash Team to keep you safe and re-mobilise you quickly after an accident. They’ll help with emergency road-side rescue, claims, priority repair scheduling, free replacement vehicles, and customer advocacy. Crash Management is a one-call solution, co-ordinating with insurance companies and brokers, collision repairers and other specialist service providers. They organise everything for the customer, provide regular status updates, and deliver their famous-in-New-Zealand extreme customer service. For a range of VERY happy customers and great feedback see Testimonials on the Crash Management website.
Protect your vehicle and your family’s safety with Crash Management now. With the generous Boost discount, the cost is less than $1 per week.
Login to Boost to check out the Crash Management offer and link to purchase.
Article written and provided by Crash Management
References