May 16th is the little dent day
The Pentecost weekend leads to many car damages, and Norwegians’ tendency to be stressed before holidays gives us the “little dent day” on May 16th.
In the past three years, SpareBank 1 Insurance has registered well over 4,300 car damages during Pentecost alone, and more than 1,100 of these are collisions and minor dents.
– Most collisions occur during reversing, hitting parked cars and rear-ending. These are damages of more than NOK 50 million, and dents are the most expensive accidents, says Therese Nielsen, Damage Prevention Specialist in SpareBank 1 Insurance.
Figures from Finance Norway show that there are more damages on the way out than when we return home from celebrating Pentecost. There are in fact fewer damages on the 2nd day of Pentecost than the average for the whole month.
The little dent day
December 22nd has been referred to as the big dent day for many years. The days before the holidays in May follow the pattern of Norwegians stressing before the important holidays.
– On the large trade day before May 17th, there are close to 30 per cent more car damages in connection with parking and reversing than in May as a whole. On May 16th, there are 807 damages compared to 620 on a average day in May, says Nielsen.
During the last five years, May 16th on average saw 1173 traffic accidents per day, compared to 941 on average in the month as such. No other days in May are close to the day before the Norwegian Constitution Day.
– It has been forecast nice weather in several places in Norway; we therefore expect many to use the roads. Our tip is to bring patience and a cold bag of cold drink along. And make sure that the tablets for the kids are seat mounted. These can cause major damage if there is a collision, says Nielsen.
Registered car damages during Pentecost at SpareBank 1 Forsikring
| Year | Damages | Collisions |
| 2017 | 1,477 | ~450 |
| 2016 | 1,286 | ~300 |
| 2015 | 1,610 | ~370 |
Number of car accidents according to Finance Norway
Year |
Outbound |
Homebound |
Avg |
| 2017 | 1,132 | 778 | 1,047 |
| 2016 | 1,308 | 658 | 890 |
| 2015 | 1,107 | 546 | 915 |
© SpareBank 1 Insurance / #Norway Today
