Didn’t see that coming! The single-car crash culprit drivers hit more than any other

Have you ever misjudged the length of your car in a car park? You might not be the only one as new data shows one in ten single-vehicle crashes involve hitting a wall. That’s according to a recent study by the AA which found that even in a world of mandated reversing cameras and parking sensors, walls remain the most common objects hit by drivers in an accident with 10 per cent of all single car crashes hitting a wall or some description. 

Despite kerbs and bollards being a lot more difficult to see from behind the wheel, drivers are less likely to hit either of these, with each accounting for seven per cent of single-vehicle crashes. One in 20 single-car crashes involve a tree, while just four per cent result in the car hitting a barrier.

The AA says drivers frequently hit there and other people’s property, too; gates, fences and garages each make up two per cent of single-car accidents. Furthermore, one in fifty drivers surveyed hit a pothole that was so deep that it damaged their car – no surprise, given the current state of UK roads.

AA boss, Tim Rankin, explained how “forgetting to put the handbrake on, misjudging the entry onto the drive or even clipping the kerb can initially be embarrassing. However, that embarrassment soon turns to annoyance when they spot the scuff on the door or a crack in the bumper.”

All of this data has been sourced from the AA’s Accident Assist programme – a service that comes as standard as part of your AA membership and provides help in the event of a crash such as accident recovery, repair arrangements and correspondence with insurers.

Yet, despite the advances in safety and crash avoidance technology, having an accident today is perhaps even more damaging than it once was. According to price comparison site, Confused.com, the average car insurance premium will now set drivers back almost £1,000 per year, with just a minor accident potentially causing a “significant increase” to insurance costs – even if it wasn’t the driver’s fault.

Since reaching Number 10, Labour has yet to announce any plans to curb the UK’s issue with insurance costs. In our pre-election interview, now-Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, told Auto Express that her party would “urgently call in the regulators to crack down on soaring costs for drivers. And we will fix up to a million more potholes every year – saving drivers hundreds of pounds in lower repair bills and insurance premiums.”

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