You’ve hit a car – there’s no one around – will you be a "road runner?"

A survey of 1,300 motorists from leading direct motor insurer, Cornhill Direct, found that 1-in-2 motorists who damaged an unattended vehicle would drive away without trying to leave their details if they thought they could get away with it - people the insurer calls "Road Runners".

The survey also revealed that 1- in- 2 motorists say they have already been the victim of a "Road Runner."

The law requires the driver of a vehicle which causes damage to stop and provide their name and address to a person who has reasonable grounds to request the information. If they do not do this for any reason, perhaps because the vehicle they damage is unattended, the driver must report the accident to the police within 24 hours. A person who fails to comply is guilty of an offence.

Official statistics reveal that the number of motorists who are prepared to do a "Runner" is growing. In 2003, 29,549 people were prosecuted for various offences relating to failing to stop, provide details or report an accident. This represents an increase of 4.0% over the previous year and nearly 11.0% higher than 2000.

Other revealing statistics from the survey include:

Females are less likely to definitely stop and leave their details at the scene than men
Just 44% of people in the North West said they would definitely stop and leave their details at the scene of the accident – the lowest of the regions surveyed.
57% of people in Wales said they would leave their details making them the most "honest" region.
The younger you are the less likely you are to stop and leave your details at the scene

Ian Firth, Cornhill Direct’s Operational Underwriting Manager said: "Honest policyholders are forced to pay an extra £30.00 a year for their motor insurance just to pay for the damage and injury caused by uninsured and untraced drivers.

Motorists who cause damage to other vehicles should take responsibility for their actions. If a motorist does not leave their details at the scene of the accident and fails to report the incident to the police, they are committing a criminal offence."

He added: "Comprehensively insured motorists can claim on their own policy but many will risk losing their No Claims Discount. For the 20% of policyholders who are not comprehensively insured, they have little choice but to go to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau for compensation. The MIB ‘s investigations can take some while to complete and the innocent motorist will also have to pay a £300.00 excess."

In 2004, the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) paid out £78.2m dealing with more than 17,500 untraced driver claims from motorists. However, this figure is dwarfed by the number of claims motor insurers have to deal with every year from policyholders who find their vehicle damaged by an unknown motorist.