Press Release: Most drivers would own up to accidental damage

February 16, 2009

Most drivers would own up to accidental damage

What an honest bunch of people us Brits have turned out to be!

In the latest research, by popular car review website, RoadTestReports.co.uk has revealed that 61 per cent* would own up to damaging someone else’s car, even if no one was around to witness the accident.

A quick bump in a quiet car park or slight scrape on a road side can leave a motorist with the temptation to quickly drive away before anyone notices. However the car review website was quietly impressed by the overall honesty of website visitors who responded to its poll.

Although the majority were honest, more than one in three (39 per cent) said they would take the opportunity to sneak away. This kind of activity is a major headache for the unfortunate victims. It is not only heartbreaking, but it can leave the victim with an expensive repair bill on their hands.

According to an AA populus poll last year*, eight out of 10 motorists have experienced having their car damaged in a car park.

Because claiming on insurance affects no claims bonuses, many people will pay out of pocket for any minor damage. However just because the damage is minor doesn’t mean it is cheap to repair. Covering scraps, scratches and repairing dints can cost hundreds of pounds and is an expense we can all live without.

Says the website’s spokesperson, Faye Sunderland: “It was good to see that most motorists display honest characteristics and are likely to leave their details at the scene of the accident if they were ever involved in damaging some else’s car.

“There is still a minority of more devious sorts who would worry about the cost to themselves and the effect on their insurance rating; others would perhaps be overcome with embarrassment. I would hope they would think hard about what it is like for the other person before sneaking away, after all it can happen to anyone one of us. They might be the victim of the next ‘scrape and run incident’,” she concludes.

-END-

Notes to Editors:

1. * RoadTestReports.co.uk asked 511 website visitors; ‘If you damaged another car while no one is around, would own up to it?’ The full results were:

Yes: 61 per cent

No: 39 per cent

2. ** The AA’s research can be found here: http://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/aa-populus-panel/aa-populus-car-park-damage-381789.html

About RoadTestReports.co.uk: Launched in June 2007, RoadTestReports.co.uk offers road tests on all the major cars and vans plus consumer reviews. The website provides “featured” reviews written by motoring journalists and reviews from consumers who tell us exactly what it is like to drive the vehicles day-in and day-out and the real practical implications of buying them. Anyone can submit a review, which gives it great appeal to website visitors and vehicle manufacturers. Currently the website attracts over 230,000 monthly users and over 500,000 monthly page views; these statistics have improved month in, month out and will continue to improve as more feature and consumer vehicle reviews are added.

RoadTestReports.co.uk is owned and maintained by Really Good Domains Ltd, which runs more motoring websites than any other company in the UK. As the UK’s largest internet advertising and marketing company for the motor industry, Really Good Domains also run the popular websites ContractHireAndLeasing.com, TheVanWebsite.co.uk, TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk, CarSupermarkets.co.uk, SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk and FleetDirectory.co.uk to name a few.

Contact: Faye Sunderland, fayes@reallygooddomains.com or call 0161 482 7650. Really Good Domains, Domain House, 4 Watchgate, Newby Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, SK7 5DB.

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