While the festive season is abundant with joy and celebration, the stress of a packed shopping centre can sometimes spoil the fun.

The nightmare of circling the centre carpark for too long, searching for a park along with all the other shoppers, really does put a damper on your day.

Analysis of carpark insurance claims at AAMI shows December and January to be the worst months for accidents, spiking significantly throughout the silly season.

Nationally, there were around 40 per cent more carpark prangs in December 2020 with 2,554, compared to any other monthly average in the past year.

The places with the worst statistics for shopping centre crashes in Canberra are Westfield Belconnen, Gungahlin, and Fyshwick, most commonly occurring while the car is parked.

Avoiding shopping centre carparks on a Wednesday afternoon may be the best advice, with that being the peak time for accidental prangs across the ACT.  

AAMI spokesperson Matthew Pugliese said finding the hidden park in a busy shopping centre can be an ordeal, and to be prepared to have to wait it out.

“All year-round, drivers expect to find a car space typically within three to five minutes. During the festive period when car parks are busy, we find that once we pass the five-minute mark we start to feel annoyed and impatient.

“Our message to drivers this silly season who find themselves doing laps of the shopping centre carpark is to stay calm and avoid letting your emotions and impatience get the better of you,” Mr Pugliese said.

“It’s a bit crazy with everyone getting back into the shops looking for gifts and we know parks are rare, so patience is the key. A quarter of all the claims we see is an accident with an inanimate object and we know carparks are smaller these days, so take your time.”

AAMI’s top tips for avoiding a car park collision are:

• Take your time reversing
• Look out for children
• Watch for stationary objects
• Remain patient
• Keep a safe distance
• Resist the urge to park quickly
• Avoid the peak times

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