Good Morning,

I am asking as a friend recently had a shunt in the boot, and his car is fine, the only problem is the boot is buckled! he cant open the boot and that is it. No bodywork / chassis damage, just a beggered boot lock (the Image he just showed me was a dent on the boot lock!)

Anyway having spent many an hour on the phone to DVLA / Solicitors / Insurance Company / Garage, he has been advised that his vehicle is Undriveable! apparently as he cant exit the boot in case of emergency... my opinion is they are talking faeces...

1) Saloon cars - you cant get out of a saloon cars boot - and I know they only do two door saloons!

2) You cant open the boot from the inside anyway whilst the switch is on the outside, and most of us dont have the old ejecter button on the dash!

3) If you have just been involved in an accident and you cant get out of either door due to the fact that the doors are smashed in, its highly unlikely that you are going to be able to crawl through the boot anyway!

My Question to you all - How many exits must a vehicle have as mandatory, and just because his three door is now reduced to two, why is it that his car is no "undriveable" and in that case, why do they never have an "emergency exit" on 2 door saloons.

Take the Boxster with its engine in the boot, and two doors... I cant exactly see someone crashing the car, unable to open either doorm so they then have to clamber through the glove compartment, and out of the bonnet...

Don't quote me on anything, but i think the boot needs to always be accessible for various reasons...

1. Emergency Exit as stated: though id rather kick the window

2. In an accident they may need to check in it boot, for example, scuba divers carry compressed air.

But thats all i can think of, police advice would know more, as there the ones that would charge your friend

Very true I suppose, but then again emergency exit? I dont see how when you cant unlock the boot from the inside. I think you may have a valid point with the boot check!