- AA Accident Assist research finds that 92% of Brits are concerned about accidental car damage, with one in four admitting to accidentally causing damage to another car in a supermarket car park
- With drivers admitting to parking across two spaces, or even in the trolley bay, The AA has built a tongue-in-cheek drive-thru bubble wrap machine to dramatise the lengths people take to swerve scrapes, dents or dinks
- Scarlett Moffatt gets behind the wheel to show there’s an easier way to protect your car, with Accident Assist – a 24/7 claims support service
Just popping to the shops! A ‘Drive-Thru Bubble Wrap’ machine was spotted in a busy car park, to help shoppers avoid damage and dinks, which are a cause of concern for a whopping 92% of Brits.
And it’s no wonder, as research of 2,000 drivers from AA Accident Assist has found that one in four admit they’ve accidentally caused damage to another car in a supermarket car park, with more than half (53%) also having had it happen to them.
TV’s Scarlett Moffatt, was the first to trial the tongue-in-cheek drive-thru at Bluewater Shopping Centre – dramatising the extremes you could go to protect your car from prangs and bumps, if you don’t have Accident Assist, a 24/7 claims support service for AA members.
Other extremes include parking over two spaces (11%) in a bid to avoid dents, and deliberately parking next to the flashiest car they can find in the hope they’ll be super-careful with their own doors (18%). A shocking 7% have also pulled into a trolley bay for added assurance.
Half (53%) have gone the extra mile to protect their cars from others’ ‘bad driving’ – including parking in the furthest away space.
As many as 23% would be ‘very interested’ in paying for a space with a ‘dent free guarantee’ rather than risk scrapes from others more careless than themselves.
Scarlett Moffatt, who took 14 attempts to pass her test, said: “Car parks can be a nightmare, especially with the size of some cars these days. It’s no small wonder people are afraid of getting their own vehicle scraped or dinged, and how many have accidentally done it to someone else.”
Scarlett is not alone, 54% said they would feel more confident knowing that if they did get into a scrape, someone else would deal with the hassle for them, with 62% of those polled confessing to being a nervous driver. 11% of drivers don’t even know where to start when it comes to making a claim.
More than four in 10 (44%) would be annoyed at all the admin in getting a dent mended, and just 28% would be very confident in knowing the steps to take to get their car fixed.
Tim Rankin, Managing Director of AA Accident Assist added: “Even the smallest dents can add up to a significant hassle. It’s not just about the appearance of the car, but the time, effort, and often money required to address these issues. With Accident Assist, we take care of it all as part of your membership – no admin, no paperwork, no hassle, giving you the freedom to drive with confidence.”
And at the other end of the driving spectrum, research found that 76% judge other people’s driving an average of eight times a week, and almost half (46%) reckon they’re the best driver in their household – with 25% particularly proud of their own parallel parking skills.
One in 10 (9%) of drivers have confessed to parking in a parent and baby space, despite having no children with them, for the ease and bonus of some extra protection on either side.
The OnePoll figures also revealed 38% get riled up by careless parking by others, with 17% having gone as far as leaving a note on their windscreen.
For any prangs or bumps, please follow this link to find out more about Accident Assist, there to take the uncertainty out of making an accident claim.
TOP 20 PARKING BUGBEARS:
1. Coming back only to find you can’t get in as a car has parked too close to the driver door
2. Returning to find a mysterious dent or scratch on your car
3. Trying to park in very narrow or angled spaces that are hard to get into
4. Trying to snag a space in a busy car park
5. The pressure of struggling to parallel park while people wait behind you
6. Someone sliding into your space while you were patiently waiting for it
7. Pedestrians not looking where they’re going
8. Trying to find the instructions on how to pay
9. Coming back to find bird droppings all over your car
10. Finding your car’s been blocked in by shopping trolleys
11. Worrying about fines or towing in unclear parking zones
12. Having technical issues when trying to use a parking app
13. Finding the exact location you left it
14. Accidentally driving the wrong way down a one-way parking row
15. Coming back to find you forgot to wind up a window and rain has got in
16. Spotting your car when it looks very similar to lots of other cars
17. Parking close to a bush and realising it scratched your car
18. People who let their car roll back while queuing to get out of a basement car park
19. Bad phone connectivity in a basement car park
20. Other people not being careful with your car (scraping past with their clothes or handbag, allowing kids to open the door without help or supervision)