Press releases

Dishonest motorists admit they would smash and run

Some British motorists have been exposed as an untrustworthy bunch in a new survey which looks at just how honest motorists are.  The survey of 3,000 people by car insurance specialist elephant.co.uk reveals one in five of us wouldn’t leave our details on a parked car if we damaged it. The same percentage again said it would depend on the car they had hit if they left their details.

We would be even more dishonest if there was no obvious damage to the car, with two thirds saying we wouldn’t leave our details then.

elephant.co.uk’s research has bad news for owners of hot hatch cars such as the Golf GTi, these are the types of car we are least likely to leave our details on if we hit them. Only 1% of those surveyed said they’d always leave their details if they hit a hot hatch.

45% said they themselves have had their parked car damaged, and of those only 15% were lucky enough to get hold of the details of the person who did it.

For those who have been a victim of a smash and run, around half accepted it as just one of those things, while 9% called the police and 1% said they sought out the car of the person they thought had done it and damaged their car in revenge.

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?

"We would advise you always leave your details, no matter how minor the damage you’ve caused. Let your insurance company deal with the matter; certainly don’t go out seeking revenge as that could cause a lot more trouble.”

And the dishonesty of many motorists would even extend to those we know. 15% of those surveyed said they wouldn’t admit it if they were driving a friend’s car and caused some minor damage to it.

elephant.co.uk’s results do not reflect well on the youngest motorists, 25% of those aged 18 and under wouldn’t confess to a friend if they caused some minor damage to their car, this compares with just 6% of those over 55.

In fact older motorists proved to be the most honest in all the questions elephant.co.uk asked.

While when it comes to gender, women seem to be slightly more honest than men. 61% of women and 56% of men said they’d always leave their details if they caused some visible damage.  Also 88% of women and 81% of men would confess to a friend if they damaged their car while driving it.

Brian Martin, said, "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!”

Regionally Wales and London come out as the parts of the UK with the least honest motorists. Only 55% in both these areas would always leave their details on a car they had damaged. This compares with 63% in the South East and 62% in both Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Only 9% of motorists who have been a victim of a smash and run in Wales said the person who did it left their details, the lowest of any part of the UK. In Northern Ireland the number was 25%.

Motorists in Wales and London are also the least likely to admit to a friend if they caused some damage to their car while driving it. Only 82% of motorists in both areas would be honest and own up. The most honest for this question are motorists in the East Midlands, 91% there would admit to a friend if they damaged their car.

Finally elephant.co.uk asked what type of damage motorists cause to another car and not admit to. The top three are:
1. Scratching the car next to yours in a car park when opening your door
2. Bumping the wing mirror of another car when driving to close to it
3. Scratching the bumper of another car after trying to park to close.

Tables
If you accidentally hit a parked car and caused no visible damage would you leave your name and insurance details?

If you accidentally hit a parked car and caused some visible damage would you leave your name and insurance details?

If you hit one of the following vehicles, would you leave your name and insurance details?

If you saw someone else hit a parked car, cause visible damage and drives off would you report it to the police?

Have you ever caused any of the following damage (however minor) to another person’s car, and driven off without leaving any details or reporting the incident?

Issue date: 17/06/2010