4 in 10 youngsters will drive off after hitting a parked car

A shocking 41 percent of young drivers admit to hitting another car and driving away, which is why Michelin has launched a range of parking protectors.

Why you should avoid supermarket car parks in Birmingham

A shocking 41 percent of young drivers admit to accidentally hitting a car and driving away without telling the driver.

That’s according to a study conducted by Custom Accessories Europe (CAE), an official licensee of Michelin.

The survey of 2,136 car owners found that drivers aged 17 to 24 are the worst offenders, with 24 percent of male drivers within this group admitting to ‘scraping and scarpering’. 

More than half (55 percent) of UK motorists have had their car damaged by an anonymous driver, with supermarket car parks the most likely place for a ‘crash and dash’.

Public car parks (19 percent) and busy streets (14 percent) are other locations to avoid if you value a pristine body.

At best, the innocent motorist could be left with a bill for paint or bodywork repairs, but in more severe cases it could result in an insurance claim, risking the loss of a no-claims bonus.

The majority of ‘crashers and dashers’ live in Birmingham (27 percent), followed by Bristol (26 percent), London (26 percent), Nottingham (23 percent) and Manchester (23 percent).

Bump and grind

Micheling parking protectors - front bumper

Unusually for a survey of this kind, Michelin hasn’t provided an expert quote, but it is trying to sell us a product.

Its new parking protectors are designed to protect a car’s bodywork from knocks and scratches. 

Michelin claims that they’re “unobtrusive”, but while they’re certainly preferable to a car park scrape, they’re not exactly attractive. 

Still, Citroen’s Airbump technology proved to be a little divisive, which is why the thermoplastic polyurethane panels were toned down for the facelift.

Mind you, French motorists have been using cars as bumpers for decades.

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Gavin Braithwaite-Smith
Gavin Braithwaite-Smithhttp://www.petrolblog.com
Writer with a penchant for #FrenchTat. Owns 15 vehicles of varying degrees of terribleness. Also doing a passable impression of Cousin Eddie in an Italian-German beige motorhome. Doesn't get out much.

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