Nearly 12 million (31%) drivers have parked in spaces where they are not eligible to park, in the last 12 months, racking up £80m worth of fines, new research finds.

£80 million worth of fines have been handed out to 1.8 million drivers who have parked in a prohibited spot in the last 12 months

The analysis from Churchill Car Insurance finds that the most common prohibited places people park are on double yellow (8%) and single yellow lines (7%).

In total, 1.8 million drivers (15%) have parked in a prohibited spot in the last 12 months alone, racking up £80m worth of fines, with an average fine of £45.

More than two million drivers (6%) admit to parking in disabled bays and when asked why, nearly a third (30%) said ‘it was only for a short time so I didn’t think it would matter’.

Another two million drivers (5%) have parked in dedicated mother and baby spaces with the main reason being ‘it was the only available space to park’. Some drivers, however, admit parking in both disabled bays (12%) and mother and baby spaces (11%) simply because it was the most convenient place for them.

When asked why they parked in the wrong place, nearly a quarter (23%) said ‘it was only for a short time so I didn’t think it would matter’, while a fifth (21%) claimed it was the only available space to park in.

Nearly one in 10 (8%) drivers parking in un-permitted places have returned to find their car damaged or have entered into a verbal altercation with another driver or pedestrian.

Steve Barrett, head of car insurance at Churchill, commented: “Bays dedicated to disabled drivers or parents with children are there to make life easier for those who may struggle with accessibility and parking in these bays when not eligible is extremely selfish. It may seem worth the risk to chance parking in a restricted area but with fines averaging £45, that five-minute rush into a shop for a newspaper could end up being very costly. More importantly, we encourage motorists to be considerate to each other.”

The majority of UK adults (79%) believe those parking in un-permitted places should receive points on their licence. Parking in emergency vehicle parking spaces (59%) and disabled parking bays (52%) are the top two restricted places which people believe should result in penalty points.