WHAT is the world of motoring coming to?

It used to be that when we bought a new car it was a cherished item - a bit of driveway bling that was polished and driven with reverence.

But it now seems that those days are over because nearly 10 per cent of all accidents over the last 12 months involved new 15 and 65-plate vehicles, according to a study by Accident Exchange.

These eye-opening statistics reveal that accident prone buyers tended to prang their brand new pride and joy on day 57 after the car was first registered. Putting those cars back on the road is estimated to have cost nearly £402 million in just 12 months.

In fact, 32 per cent of all 15 and 65-plate accidents happened within just two months of ownership.

The crash statistics recorded by the accident management firm occurred between March 2015 and the end of February 2016.

With an estimated 2.2 million accidents - minor and serious - occurring annually, that implicates 196,000 2015-plate vehicles.

The average cost of accident repairs is £2,050, meaning all 15 and 65-plate crashes cost drivers and insurers £402 million.

Scott Hamilton-Cooper, director of operations at Accident Exchange, said: "Any accident is a traumatic and emotional experience for the driver and passengers, but this increases for those driving brand new vehicles usually costing a lot of money."

It is still true that a car is usually the second largest purchase we make, so these figures do beggar belief.

The study examined 35,800 incidents recorded by Accident Exchange between February 2015 and January 2016 but it still does not provide a solution to why it is happening.