Such questions are answered by a study by Generali Deutschland AG, an evaluation of 270,000 vehicle damage. Regional results were incorporated into the “Karambolage Atlas 2020”, an interactive map of the damage situation and accident occurrences. The atlas illustrates insightful data from the motor insurer.
Less damage at higher costs
And as with other studies on motor vehicle insurance, one conclusion for the “Carambolage Atlas 2020” is: The average damage costs are increasing due to the increasingly complex technology in cars. In 2017, around every fourth damage caused costs of over 2,500 euros, now it is every third.
Roland Stoffels, who is responsible for motor vehicle and property insurance on the Board of Generali Deutschland AG, explains: “There are more and more cars with assistance systems and technical aids on our roads. Correspondingly, many of the smaller accidents, for example when parking in and out of parking spaces, are prevented. However, if damage does occur, the repairs to the expensive auxiliary devices result in higher costs ”. In 2019, the average damage costs of the investigated cases in Germany were around 2,350 euros.
The most common cases of damage are liability property damage
Liability property damage make up 34.8 percent of all damage according to the study. The share of this type of damage in the total costs is 34.2 percent. A quarter of all registered damage, around 28 percent, affects built-in glass – for example headlights and windshields. Here, too, new developments increase costs, as Roland Stoffels explains. Nowadays, unlike years ago, front windows usually have to be completely removed if glass is damaged. This is often associated with expensive new equipment for modern assistance systems. The proportion of glass damage in the total costs is 6.1 percent.
18.8 percent of the damage can also be attributed to a collective category, the Fire, explosion, short circuit, collision or vandalism includes. Here the share of costs in all damage costs is 20.0 percent. In addition, 9.0 percent of all damage can be traced back to accidents involving wildlife and marten bites.
Less personal injury, but huge costs
From the list of types of damage, the Personal injury (with and without property damage), which is to be paid by the liability. Thanks to improved technology and many safety systems, people are injured only in 3.3 percent of all damage – a decrease of 0.7 percentage points compared to last year’s carom atlas. If personal injury occurs, however, the consequences for those affected can be dramatic and permanent, as well as expensive for the insurer: 30.2 percent of all damage costs are caused by personal injury.
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