As the countdown to Christmas nears its end, the mad dash for last minute gifts and supplies is heating up at shopping centres right across The Capital.

With more people in a rush, the mission to score a car park at this time of year also becomes a battle of its own and unsurprisingly that leads to more prangs.

According to insurer AAMI, December and January are the most likely times of year to have a collision in a carpark, and while crunching the numbers – they’ve also uncovered the most likely place to have a car park prang in each state and territory.

Westfield Belconnen took the crown for the ACT with car parks in Gungahlin and Woden rounded out the top 3 respectively.

AAMI Motor Claims Manager, Leah James, says it’s important to remain calm while behind the wheel this festive season

“Typically – outside of the festive season, drivers expect to find a car park within 3-5 minutes. However, during December and January – when car parks are busy, finding a spot can become a 15-to-30-minute nightmare, or longer for those hell bent on securing a park.

“The longer we spend doing laps of the car park and stalking shoppers, the more frustrated we become, which can quickly lead to erratic driving and a higher chance of being in a collision.

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Photo: Google Maps