One in four drivers has been targeted by yobs throwing objects at their vehicle

The growing problem is now so bad that 70 per cent of drivers say they fear for their safety whenever they pass under a bridge.

Eighty per cent of motorists have seen vandals throwing objects such as stones or rocks into the road, while 94 per cent want preventative measures on bridges, such as higher fences or CCTV cameras.

Autoglass, which commissioned the survey, cited cases where motorists have been killed after objects were thrown at them. Delivery driver John Wells, 28, was killed last year in a pile-up when three young children threw stones at traffic near Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales.

A girl of 12 and two boys aged 15 and 14 were later convicted after admitting they did it “for a laugh”. Even yesterday police were hunting yobs seen throwing stones at cars travelling on the M25. Autoglass managing director Nigel Doggett said: “We fix thousands of windscreens every day and so we see first-hand the consequences of the actions of these mindless yobs.