The one time and day of the week you're most likely to have a car crash.

Using their data collection powers for good, Australian insurance company IAG recently analysed all of the car crashes its policy-holders had been involved with and found one clear commonality.

We're looking at you, 3pm Friday.

According to the head of IAG's research centre, Robert McDonald, the finding isn't all that surprising.

“People are tired by the end of the week and the data is telling us that as the week wears on they tend to have more crashes going to and from work and in the afternoons and this is fairly consistent nationally," he told news.com.au.

“We’re also spending more time commuting and travelling further distances,” McDonald explained.

But if you're wondering why 3pm and not, say, 5pm, the answer, McDonald says is quite simple.

“Rush hour is starting earlier and earlier with lots of people varying their hours to beat traffic and finishing early. From my own observations I’ve seen traffic start banking up often by 3pm so the old days when the trip home began only at 5pm have gone,” he said.

The majority of accidents, IAG said, is through nose to tail rear end collisions.

In addition to 3pm on Fridays, collision figures also peak about 8am across weekdays, and Thursday afternoon follows as the second-most dangerous weekday.

According to McDonald, there are also a number of factors that have left drivers at risk during peak hour.

“There are a massive number of distractions in cars leading to more crashes," he began.

"There seems to be no common sense when it comes to people distracting themselves. There are people using mobile phones, portable GPS, even the cars themselves require more interaction, there are a lot more features to control and buttons to push and people are taking their eyes off the road," he went on.

“I drive around Sydney every day and see motorists who don’t seem to care about the laws. In an hour I’ll see half a dozen people using mobile phones without a hands-free kit.”

As for surviving the 3pm Friday drive, McDonald's tips are simple.

“Have a bit of patience, courtesy and accept we’re all in this together and stop being so defensive. Also, understand your life won’t end if you’re one position further back than you could be.”