Traffic police reported that 91,225 road incidents in the first nine months of this year led to fatalities or injuries. The majority of these crashes stem from driver violations, while vehicle failures accounted for a historically small share, about 4.7 percent.
Even with the suspension of technical inspections for many cars since early 2022, the frequency of serious incidents did not appear to drop as might be expected.
Researchers from the insurance company Soglasie analyzed OSAGO data and observed a notable pattern: newer vehicles tended to be involved in more accidents than older models.
By 2022, vehicles under five years old showed the highest propensity for accidents, with a rate of 7.35 percent. Cars older than 25 years had a significantly lower rate, at 3.77 percent.
The risk profile for cars in between these age brackets fell within typical ranges, with annual accident frequencies reflecting gradual aging effects on driver behavior and vehicle performance:
- from 5 to 10 years – 5.77%
- from 11 to 14 – 5.19%
- from 15 to 19 – 5.06%
- from 20 to 24 – 4.58%
The observed trend suggests that, in general, the likelihood of crashes may decline as vehicles age, potentially due to more cautious usage patterns or the higher maintenance standards often associated with older ownership cycles. This counters a common assumption that older cars automatically pose greater safety risks.
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Insurance insights point to a different headline: the most frequent crash drivers were operating specific popular models, notably the Volkswagen Polo, Hyundai Solaris, and Kia Rio. These vehicles stood out by ranking high in both the incidence of accidents and the total number of damaged cars, indicating a combination of high exposure in the fleet and a relatively dense ownership base in the market.
In summary, current data emphasize the importance of driver behavior and vehicle age as factors in crash risk, while also highlighting how market popularity and usage patterns influence overall accident statistics. Ongoing monitoring of OSAGO claims and registration trends can help explain shifts in risk over time and guide policy decisions for safer roads.
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