OK, so you have been on your shopping expedition and you have picked up some good bargains. You return to the car park and bang your mood suddenly changes. Someone has dented your car. Is there anything more infuriating? Most of us have experienced this scenario, especially when we were just learner drivers. The question is though, would you own up to this accident and leave your details behind or would you make a quick getaway? A new survey indicates that as many as 1 in five people would not own up to damaging a parked car.

And if you’re lucky enough to be the proud owner of a hot motor you have more cause for worry than those with older, less pristine versions. 20 percent of the 3,000 motorists questioned in the poll by a UK insurance company said their decision whether to leave their details would depend on what kind of car they hit… A meagre 1 percent would own up if they hit a fancier car like a Volkswagen Golf GTi.

This survey also showed that over half of the people surveyed has had their own parked cars damaged in the past. Only a meagre 15% of these people were left details by the culprit. If the culprit inspected the car and could find no obvious defects then 66% of people would drive on without owning up to the crash. If they can’t see a problem then they believe no damage was caused.

You may ask is there a significant difference between men and women. Who is the more honest? 61% of women would leave their details and only 56% of men would leave their details. I guess women are the more honest of the species, but it is a pity that such a high percentage of people walk away in the first place. It is a terrible thing to happen to you.

The worst culprits seem to be new drivers, under 18 years, as a quarter of them wouldn’t even admit they had caused damage to their friend’s car! The older, wiser drivers over 55 years are a more honest bunch – 94 percent of them would own up, probably because it has happened to them in the past.

If what you have just read scares the living daylights out of you then visit AXA for a competitive car insurance quote. We sell a wide variety of motor insurance products at low prices