One in ten single vehicle accidents due to wet and icy roads in Tasmania

One in ten single vehicle accidents in Tasmania over winter are due to wet and icy roads according to
the latest RACT Insurance data.

RACT Insurance CEO Trent Sayers said in the winter months of 2013, there were some 492 single
vehicle accident claims across Tasmania, with just over 10 per cent of the incidents citing wet, icy or
frosty roads as the cause.

“Of the statewide claims for wet and icy roads, some 42 per cent were from southern Tasmania, while
the north west made up 22 per cent of all claims and the north registered some 36 per cent,” Mr Sayers
said.

Mr Sayers said the claims data showed the 50 accidents were spread evenly across the region, with no
one area greatly higher than another, and did not include accidents where such conditions had caused
a collision between cars.

“What is clear for Tasmanian’s is while cold mornings and overnight rain can be a recipe for disaster,
motorists need to be aware of how much sun exposure roads are likely to get during the day, as it can
mean they don’t dry out at all,” Mr Sayers said.

Mr Sayers said in the interest of safer motoring for all road users, it was the duty of all Tasmanians to
ensure their vehicles complied with basic vehicle safety.

“Safety starts with you, and that means ensuring the tyres on your vehicle have enough tread, checking
windscreen wipers, as well as making sure your headlights, taillights and brake lights are all working,”
he said.

“Along with this, motorists should have the brakes on their cars checked and ensure indicators are all
working, but most of all, if there is a problem they should get it fixed straight away.”

Mr Sayers said the top causes in relation to claims were drivers spinning out of control on tight corners,
even when many had taken into account the change in road conditions.

“It is also a timely reminder to motorists that under winter conditions, or when travelling above
80km/h or more, they need to leave more than the recommended two-second gap between their
vehicle and the vehicle in front, and instead look to leave a three to four second gap or more,” he said.

“I can’t stress enough the need for motorists to drive to the conditions, which is a message
communicated regularly by our police force and emergency services, and is particularly important
during the Tasmanian winter months.”

RACT is continuing its program of free vehicle safety checks this winter – an ideal opportunity for a
quick ‘once-over’ to provide some peace of mind.

Figures at a glance:
Claims period – June to August 2013
Claims type – single vehicle accident
Keyword: wet, icy and frosty
Total claims for period: 492
Total claims mentioning wet, icy and frosty: 50 – 10.16%
Total claims for North West: 11 – 22%
Total claims for North: 18 – 36%
Total claims for South: 21 – 42%
RACT Insurance CEO Trent Sayers