Have you suffered mysterious damage to your car with no evidence of who caused them?

I think we all have, not least when in a supermarket car park.

Uncontrolled shopping trolleys, enthusiastic door opening in tight spaces. As our cars expand, spaces shrink and every road space is weighed down wit greater traffic volumes.

Capital crimes

New research from NextBase has studied car damage across the UK. It finds that London drivers are more likely to ‘hit and run” than drivers in other parts of the country.

Just 39% of London car owners said they would leave a note “no matter what” if they damaged another car without anyone witnessing it.

This response comes despite the fact that hitting a vehicle and not leaving your details is ctually  illegal under Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act.

Over the rest of the country, 52% of motorists would leave. not no matter what.

In comparison, Scottish drivers and those in the South West were the most likely to leave a note to inform a car owner that they damaged their car.

 

% of people who selected “Yes, no matter what” when asked: “If you accidentally scratched or incurred minor damage on a parked car and nobody was around to witness it, would you leave a note?”

 

South West 62%
Scotland 62%
Wales 59%
East Anglia 54%
North West 53%
North East 52%
UK-Wide 52%
South East 52%
Yorkshire 50%
Midlands 50%
Northern Ireland 42%
London 39%

 

This may have something to do with London’s younger population, as older drivers (and women) were more likely to say they would always leave a note.

Proportion of people who selected “Yes, no matter what” when asked: “If you accidentally scratched or incurred minor damage on a parked car and nobody was around to witness it, would you leave a note?”

18-24 36%
25-34 49%
35-44 52%
45-54 55%
55+ 58%

 

National figures show a slender majority of the UK would always leave a note, while a relatively small 14% admit that they would definitely not do so.

If you accidentally scratched or incurred minor damage on a parked car and nobody was around to witness it, would you leave a note?

No 14%
Yes – but only if I had time and paper on hand 34%
Yes, no matter what 52%

 

Dents and scratches on cars are not as harmless as they might seem. While thy adversely affect the image of the car, people often judge those with dents on their car negatively too.

 

When you see someone’s car has some cosmetic damage like a dent or large scratch unfixed, what does that tell you? by Demographics
They are careless 39%
They are struggling financially 34%
They are busy 32%
They cannot be trusted 15%

And dents aren’t the worst of it – London was also the area with the most car crimes last year, and also has one of the lowest charge rates.

Of the 23,000 cases of car thefts, thefts from a car, and interference with a car reported to the Metropolitan Police last year, just 3.2% resulted in anyone being charged, according to Home Office data.

In the sick bay

“This survey shows that we aren’t always the best parkers in the UK,” says Bryn Brooker, head of road safety at Nextbase.

“Some of this is harmless – there’s no problem with taking your time in a tight park – but some of it can cause serious damage to other cars. Indeed, far too many drivers would only leave a note if it was convenient for them.

“Your car is probably your most valuable asset, save from your home,” Brooker adds. “A dent might not seem like a big deal, but it can cost hundreds of pounds to fix, ruin your no-claims bonus on your insurance, and if you don’t fix it seriously impacts the way people perceive you.”