One in four road accidents 'are rear-end collisions'

Date: 16/5/2011

Hundreds of thousands of rear-end bumps are recorded on roads in the UK every year.

According to Admiral, one in four of all accidents every year fit this description, totalling 405,000 in all.

Examining data from claims made during 2010, the insurance provider found that 27 per cent of the accidents examined involved one driver colliding with another from behind.

This was a nine per cent increase on the number of incidents of this type recorded during 2009.

In some cases, the occupants of the vehicle suffered whiplash, an injury that costs insurers £1.9 billion each year and accounts for 75 per cent of all bodily injury claims, the firm notes.

However, the cover provider warns that one factor in this rise could be an increase in the number of such accidents being staged, noting that there are some 30,000 cases of this annually.

Sue Longthorn, Admiral Managing Director, says: "These are accidents where a fraudulent motorist will slam on their brakes unexpectedly causing the motorist behind to drive into the back of their vehicle.

"We would advise all motorists to be aware they are on the increase and be vigilant."

Road markings such as signposts and bridges can be used by drivers to determine their distance from the car in front - with two seconds the recommended gap to be maintained in dry weather.

Posted by Sarah Bailey