New research published by Accident Exchange, suggests that aftersales volumes fluctuate widely depending on the season, and even the day of the week. The industry could benefit from better capacity planning to move with the volume swings.

Accident Exchange’s research shows that there is a  £150m repair windfall in winter, due to an increase in accidents that results from weather and light conditions during that season.  Accidents typically up by 15% in winter over summer, which equates to an additional 70,000 accidents occurring. 

The data also suggests that the Friday dash sees accidents rise by 19%. This trend is exaggerated as the holidays approach.  The heaviest spike in accidents fell on the last Friday before the May Day bank holiday, with 75% more accidents than the average.Analysis of 28,000 incidents by accident aftercare specialist,Accident Exchange, shows that during evening rush hours of 5-6pm, that figure jumps by almost a third (30%) as commuters hit the road but struggle with the road conditions.

Scott Hamilton-Cooper, operations director at Accident Exchange commented: “Dealers and bodyshops can capitalise on the £150 million rise in repairs in winter by anticipating the need to increase capacity, where possible. Even predicting a rise towards the end of the working week can potentially improve efficiency. “With one of the coldest January’s on record already under our belts, motorists will have been even more prone to ice, slippery roads and fog which could easily see this number rise even further.”