Four in 10 motorists hit by another vehicle owned their car for less than a year

Nearly 40 per cent of motorists that were hit by another vehicle had owned their car for less than 12 months, new data has found.

Analysis of more than 68,000 accidents shows that 11 per cent of drivers had owned their vehicle for less than 90 days, while motorists were also 50 per cent more likely to be involved in a crash in their second month of ownership as their 12th.

The West Midlands town of Walsall was considered the unluckiest place to drive a newly-owned car, based on the ratio of such incidents compared with the number of vehicles on the road. It was followed by Preston, Stockport, Cambridge and Blackburn to round out the top five.

London had by far the highest number of accidents within the first 90 days of ownership, but because of the sheer number of vehicles on the road, the ratio of incidents was comparatively small.

Scott Hamilton-Cooper, director of sales and operations at AX, a provider of non-fault accident support that commissioned the research, said: “However big or small, damage to your car when it’s not your fault is upsetting.

“When you’ve only owned that vehicle for weeks or months, it’s painful, frustrating and much, much more.

“There’s no rhyme nor reason for so many newer owners to be on the wrong end of a bump. You can’t even suggest it’s down to familiarity of the vehicle as they’re the innocent party. It is purely just a question of bad luck.”