Dishonest motorists cause increase in car insurance premiums

Research for a leading insurer has shown that motorists' moral standards are slipping, as half of them would drive off if they hit an unattended vehicle. This leaves misery for the owner of the damaged car, as they may not have comprehensive cover and may end up having to cover the cost of repair out of their own pocket. Even fully covered drivers face losing their no claims bonus, unless it is protected, leading to an increase in car insurance premium the following year. Women appear less honest than men as they are less likely to leave their details and the younger the driver, the more likely they are to flee the scene, leaving someone else to cough up - only 1 in 3 under 25s said they would stop following an accident.

Almost 30,000 drivers were prosecuted for failing to stop or provide details of an accident during 2003, an increase of 4 % in a year. The actions of these individuals add £30 a year to the car insurance premiums of the rest of the honest motoring population.