Bumper Christmas causes rise in car insurance claims

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<div class="rxbodyfield" xmlns:o="urn:www.microsoft.com/office" xmlns:st1="urn:www.microsoft.com/smarttags" xmlns:st2="urn:www.microsoft.com/smarttags2" xmlns:w="urn:www.microsoft.com/word" xmlns:x="urn:www.microsoft.com/excel"><p>Manic battles fought in an attempt to get a car parking space are causing more car park prangs, leading to a rise in car insurance claims according to a study by swiftcover.com.</p><p>In a survey of over 1,500 drivers, 65% admitted that they suffered car park rage as struggled to find a coveted space to park their car, but the results also showed that more than blood pressures were rising this festive season.</p><p>Panic parking had caused 73% of respondents to become involved in bumps and scrapes in supermarket and multi-storey car parks. </p><p>Supermarket car parks are the most common location for stationary prangs with 43% of drivers admitting to being involved in one, closely followed by retail parks and town centre car parks where 30% of accidents were reported.</p><p>Craig Staniland, underwriting director at swiftcover.com, commented: &quot;It is staggering how many people have had their car bumped or scraped while it has been parked.&quot;</p><p>Mr Staniland added that it was &quot;surprising&quot; to see that 80% of drivers had refused to claim on their insurance after having their car bumped or scraped, as even a small amount of damage, if not fixed, can reduce the value of your car.</p><p>He concluded by warning motorists to make sure that they were insured at this time of year, saying: &quot;After all, &#39;tis the season to be jolly &#8211; if you&#39;re not careful, you could have a &#39;bumper&#39; Christmas, but for all the wrong reasons!&quot;</p><p>uSwitch.com has plenty of information on <a href="http://www.uswitch.com/Car-Insurance/Car-Insurance-In-The-UK.html">car insurance in the UK and can also help you find the right deal. Use our <a href="http://www.uswitch.com/Car- Insurance/Index.aspx">car insurance calculator to find yourself a great deal and apply online today.</p></div>