Where's my car? 5.6 million motorists have forgotten where they left their car

• 5.6 million motorists have forgotten where they left their car
• British drivers have spent 78,000 days looking for their vehicles and clocked up over £430,000 in additional parking charges
   

New research1 has revealed the absent mindedness of British drivers. Never mind forgetting their car keys, over one in eight (14 per cent) British motorists have lost their car itself during the last two years.

A study for Direct Line DrivePlus has shown that over the last two years, 14 per cent of drivers (5.6 million) have forgotten where they parked their car.   The research showed that women appear to be more forgetful than men when it comes to where they parked, as 16 per cent of female drivers say they have forgotten where they left their car, compared to 12 per cent of male drivers.

However, although women are more likely to lose their car, they find them again more quickly.  It took women an average of 27 minutes to locate their lost car, while men spent an average of 50 minutes before finding their vehicle.  Overall, drivers spent an average of 40 minutes looking for their cars, a combined total of more than 78,000 days in 12 months.

Losing their car has been costly for a third of drivers, as nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of those who forgot where they left their vehicle had to pay extra parking charges. This resulted in an additional cost to drivers of more than £432,000 a year over the last two years2.  However, the delay in finding their car was more serious for the eight per cent of drivers who were landed with a parking fine as a result of their forgetfulness.  Collectively this cost them in excess of an estimated £11,283,0003 in the last two years

The study also found that contrary to gender stereotypes, men are much more likely to ask for help in finding their car.  25 per cent of male drivers who had lost their car asked passers-by for directions, compared to only seven per cent of women.  Men are also more likely to turn to technology, with over four in ten (43 per cent) male drivers looking for their car used a map on their phone, compared to one in ten (10 per cent) of women.

Men are most likely to have lost their car in a city centre car park, or having parked on city centre streets, whereas supermarket car parks are the location where women are likeliest to have forgotten where they parked.

A fifth (20 per cent) of men who have lost their car did so in a train station car park, bringing to mind the 2011 case of footballer Jermaine Pennant who was widely reported to not only have forgotten that he had parked his Porsche at a train station in Spain, but that he even owned the car.

For those drivers who regularly forget where they left their wheels, the use of a telematics device could provide peace of mind.  Direct Line’s DrivePlus Plug-In allows drivers to assess the journeys they make, and their driving behaviour, with all their data available through an online portal.  This can be accessed with a smart phone app, that has a locate my vehicle function which could help them find where they left their car.

Paul Felton, Head of Telematics at Direct Line, said: “While telematics technology is designed to help drivers improve their driving behaviour, it provides a number of additional benefits.  One of these is the ability for motorists to identify through ‘a locate my vehicle’ function where they left their car, barring for GPS limitation.  We all know how difficult it can sometimes be to remember where we have left our car, and so DrivePlus Plug-in can be a valuable reminder and save a lot of time searching the rows of a car park or city centre streets.”

By signing up for DrivePlus motorists are able to have their driving rated on an ongoing basis.  Consistently high or improving scores can lead to reductions in car insurance premiums as better driving results in a lower risk of being in an accident4.   Those drivers interested in DrivePlus should visit the website at:  www.directline.com/car-insurance/driveplus

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Research carried out by Opinium Research online amongst a nationally representative sample of 2003 UK adults between 20-23 May 2014. 
2. “The size and shape of the UK parking profession” Report April 2013, British Parking Association - www.britishparking.co.uk/Parking-Reports. This reported (page 3) that the average cost of short term parking across the UK was approximately £1per hour.
3. Based on a lower band PCN cost of £25 if paid within 14 days
4. Drivers aged 17-25 will receive a discount of up to 25 per cent. These discounts are subject to change.
    

For further information, please contact:

Emma Lowde

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

Tel: 020 7282 1049

E-mail: emma.lowde@citigatedr.co.uk

Vicky Bristow 
PR Manager 
Direct Line Group

Tel: 01239 637377 
Email: vicky.bristow@directlinegroup.co.uk

Direct Line

Started in 1985, Direct Line became the first UK insurance company to use the telephone as its main channel of communication. It provides motor, home, travel and pet insurance cover direct to customers by phone or on-line.

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