A study of the claims league table shows the following:

• Parked cars came off worst, accounting for just over 10% of the claims.
• Tail-end shunts came in second, 6.3% of the tally. 
• Hitting kerbs, which are often hidden from view under snow, took 6% of claims.
• With just under 6% of claims, were cars that slid into signs and lamp posts.
• Head-on collisions claimed 3% of the total, along with junction manoeuvres that went wrong and a similar number of cars knocking down walls.
• Accidents at home with garages, gate posts, partners’ and neighbours’ cars came in sixth.
• Among the rest of claims taken by AA claims staff are collisions with police cars, an ambulance, a snow plough, two buses and a skip. 

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said that in most cases, snowy collisions don’t cause injury but can end up with costly claims.

‘Parked cars come off badly,’ he said. ‘Unfortunately, some of our claimants returned to their cars to find them dented but no note from whoever caused the damage.’

He added that the saddest claims he has seen this year are where drivers have had to abandon their cars, returning to find that they had been broken in to. One driver not only lost property from inside his car, but his wheels were missing as well.

‘That’s a depressing side of human nature,’ he observed. ‘Fortunately, most drivers will say that when they have got into trouble others have been very willing to help.'