UP to 30% of all fleet vehicle repairs are a result of mysterious knocks and dents, according to Diarmuid Fahy, accident services manager at Interleasing.

This story is told to fleet managers time and time again all over Britain: a driver returns, laden with shopping, to the supermarket car park to find his car has acquired a dent while he was away. There is no apologetic note or contact details of the culprit under the windscreen wiper.

A small mishap, but frustrating nonetheless, requiring the attention of the fleet manager. When neither the driver nor a third party admits responsibility for damage to a vehicle, the incident is recorded as 'found damage'.

At first glance, found damage may not seem too onerous a burden for fleet managers. The repair costs, generally quite low, are covered by the excess, with little impact on premiums. What should be of concern is the scale of the issue, which may well be having an impact on long-term costs and residual values.

According to the latest research from Interleasing, up to 30% of all fleet vehicle damage is reported as 'found'.

It throws up two important questions, says accident services manager Diarmuid Fahy: 'What can be done to reduce the number of such incidents and what proportion of the claims are genuine?'

He added: 'We have to accept there are a minority of drivers who are cheating the system and not taking the blame for incidents of their own making. Trying to prove this, however, can be a time-consuming and uncomfortable minefield and is, in many cases, perhaps best avoided.

'Making accusations, creating a 'blame culture' and coming across as overly suspicious will not help fleet managers who want to maintain good relations with their fellow employees.'

Fahy recommends a less intrusive approach would be to ensure appropriate accident management measures are in place and consistently adhered to.

He said: 'New technology can help, with online accident management services providing instant access to images of damage and copies of all forms in the system, making it easier for fleet managers to examine the damage and use their individual judgement to assess the legitimacy of the claim.

'Monitoring individual driver's incident reporting records also plays a vital role – as do regular vehicle inspections. Vehicle inspections don't have to be confrontational either. Fleet managers could have a discreet look around the car park to check for signs of damage and match this up to reported incidents. Non-reporting of damage could be down to fairly innocuous reasons, such as the vehicle coming to the end of its lease and the driver wrongly assuming they won't be liable for end-of-lease charges. But it could indicate a wider problem of drivers not being bothered to report damage – found or otherwise. In these more serious cases, as well as incidents of suspected ongoing misreporting, it might be worth incorporating a review of the individual's vehicle record within an appraisal.

'However, if we assume that the majority of drivers are truthfully reporting that they returned to their car and found it damaged, are there any ways to reduce such incidents? To answer this, we need to understand as much as we can about the circumstances and types of damage involved.'

Interleasing's research shows that 19% of drivers reported that their found damage was discovered in car parks, 16% outside the home, 26% when parked in the street and 2% at work. Some 37% were unable to say where the damage had taken place. Interleasing believes these figures point to a vital need: to improve driver training and awareness about parking.

Fahy said: 'Because the majority of damage occurs while vehicles are parked, it makes sense to improve driver's parking ability and appreciation of risks that may occur. We'd always advise drivers to take common sense steps: park only in well-lit areas, fold in wing mirrors, take your time and straighten up if you need to, avoid parking in the corner space and don't park next to cars with baby seats – taking care of the car in the space next door is often the last thing on the minds of busy parents!'

Interleasing believes encouraging a more fastidious attitude to parking should be just one part of a well thought-out, inclusive and implemented driver training programme.

As Fahy concluded: 'This crucial aspect of risk management can often be neglected, at a high cost. Taking such positive, empowering action will help to reduce all fleet incidents – whatever the cause.'