SCOTS MOST RELUCTANT TO CHALLENGE PARKING FINES

Judging by the grumbling we hear even just in our own office, it’s clear Scottish drivers hate parking tickets but new data shows that, for all the grumbling, they are the least likely to do anything about it.

Last year was a record year for parking charges in the UK, with a ticket issued every 12 seconds in the final quarter of 2017.

With more cars than ever on the roads and authorities clamping down on infringements, parking is turning into more of a battlefield than ever and a new survey by leasing firm Cars on Demand reveals that 25.8 per cent of Britons have challenged a parking ticket.

They study has has also revealed where motorists are most likely to kick up a stink and Scotland is dead last.

According to the poll, drivers in Northern Ireland are most willing to challenge a ticket, with 34.3 per cent saying they had done so. Drivers in the East Midlands and England’s north east also think they can beat a parking ticket –or at least like to give it a good go – with 34.1 per cent and 33 per cent respectively revealing they had contested a ticket.

At the opposite end of the scale Scottish drivers are the most reluctant to challenge a ticket, with just 18.9 putting up a fight.

The poll also found a split in those willing to tackle the matter on the spot.

Drivers in the East Midlands also turned out to be the most likely to challenge a ticket in person - almost a fifth said they’d challenge the parking warden in person over a charge, compared with just 12 per cent across the country.

It’s hardly surprising to find so many drivers willing to challenge a parking ticket when the study reveals that almost 70 per cent think charges are all about raising money rather than deterring bad parking and almost half (46.7 per cent) say they would struggle to pay a parking ticket.

Paul Brown, managing director at Cars On Demand commented: “Our survey shows that nearly half of Brits would struggle to pay a parking fine, emphasising how important it is not to park somewhere you are not authorised to park.

“That said, you don’t always have to take a parking ticket lying down. If you’re adamant you weren’t in the wrong, make sure to gather as much evidence as you can in your defence, and appeal to avoid paying up.”

The poll also found that a shocking one in 10 drivers said they would use a disabled space they weren’t entitled to, suggesting that a previous study that found 2.5 million drivers were abusing such spaces might be underestimating the problem.