Auto claims tend to rise near the end of December, and the main culprit is the holidays.
According to Plymouth Rock Assurance, auto claims spike 20% to 30% during the third week of December compared to the first two weeks of the month. It's the largest and most consistent claims surge the company sees every year.
Why does it occur? There are multiple factors at play. The holidays happen during some of the darkest days of the year and, in many places, when there are snow and ice on the roads. Frantic shoppers might speed; holiday partygoers might drink and drive.
An analysis of driving data from Cambridge Mobile Telematics found that, while overall traffic fatalities are 4% lower than the daily average on Christmas, speeding-related fatalities rise 7% and distraction-related fatalities increase 5.5%.
New Year's Day is similar, with speeding-related fatalities up 33% compared to the winter average.
The slideshow above highlights common road risks for holiday drivers.
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