New research: weekend crashes worst

Perhaps highlighting what we already suspected, national Aussie insurance company Youi has found that weekend motorcycle accidents are significantly more serious than those that occur during the week.

While the insurer doesn't quote specifics in its latest study – like the number of accidents surveyed, the geographic spread of the spills or the date range of the incidents – it claims its data indicates riders are 43.3 per cent more likely to be involved a motorcycle accident on a Saturday and 27.7 per cent more likely on a Sunday.

In addition to that, the average cost of a claim is 37.4 per cent higher on a Saturday and 42.7 per cent higher on a Sunday, compared to weekday crashes.

"Motorcycles are mainly used as commuter vehicles during the week and we see typical peak periods for crashes between the hours of 8am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm," said Youi CEO, Frank Costigan.

"However, our research showed that when it comes to rider behaviour there are two distinct groups – the weekday rider and the weekend rider."

Youi's research reveals that 54.6 per cent of all weekend motorcycle crashes involve no third party, compared to 37.4 per cent on weekdays, while one-third of claims were made as a result of accidents that occurred during leisure trips, compared to 10.4 per cent during the week.