20% 'would not admit car damage'
As many as 20% of motorists would not own up if they damaged a parked car
Tuesday June 15 2010
As many as 20% of motorists would not own up if they damaged a parked car, a new survey shows.
And around 20% said it would depend on what car they hit as to whether they left their details, the poll for insurance company elephant.co.uk found.
A total of 45% of the 3,000 motorists questioned said they had had their own parked car damaged, with only 15% of those lucky enough to be left the details of the culprit.
The poll showed that two-thirds would not leave their details if there was no obvious damage to the car they hit and only 1% would leave details if they hit a hot hatch such as a Volkswagen Golf GTi;
Some 61% of women and 56% of men said they would always leave their details if they caused visible damage.
Regionally, Wales and London has the least honest motorists in respect of smash-and-run incidents, while the most honest drivers are in Scotland, Northern Ireland and south east England;
Some 25% of those aged 18 or under would not confess if they caused minor damage to a friend's car, while only 6% of those over 55 would fail to own up.
Of those who have been a victim of a smash-and-run, around half accepted it as as just one of those things, while 9% called the police and 1% sought revenge by damaging the culprit's car.
Elephant.co.uk managing director Brian Martin said: "It's a shame that so few people would be honest if they hit someone else's car. You have to ask yourself how would you feel if someone did that to you?
"It would seem that a large group of motorists wouldn't even confess to their friends if they were driving their car and damaged it. I guess the moral of this is only let the friends you trust drive your car."
Press Association
