One of the safest places to leave your car is outside a church, a survey has found.
Almost three-quarters of drivers, 72 per cent, have had their cars
vandalised or damaged – and 43 per cent report that their car was
damaged, deliberately or accidentally, whilst parked on a residential
street.
Car parks, traditionally associated with potential vandalism and
break-in, have taken security seriously and only 13 per cent of
motorists have discovered damage done to their cars in a multi-storey
car-park, with another ten per cent saying that their car was affected
whilst in a town-centre shopping mall car area.
Supermarket car parks account for a quarter of motorist’s knocks,
scrapes and dents.
Mark Huggins, head of AA personal loans, says: "A car is a
serious financial investment and finding it vandalised is frustrating,
heartbreaking and of course expensive.
"If you are paying for your car with a personal loan, the last thing you want is the added financial burden of sorting out repairs so it’s worth thinking about where you park. For example, if you are out and about, choose well-lit car parks preferably with good security such as CCTV even if it means a bit of a walk or a higher parking fee. Although it’s not always possible to park off road at home, try to park
in a well-lit spot and take simple precautions like folding in the side
mirrors to reduce the risk of them being knocked off. Never, ever leave
anything valuable on show in the car."
Trying to find safe places to avoid the risk of vehicle damage is always hard, but a hospital or doctor’s surgery car park, outside a school, in an airport car park, and outside a restaurant all have a three per cent chance of vandalism. Even the police are not safe – one per cent of motorists found that their cars were damaged there.
