COWS materialising out of nowhere, builders popping out of manholes, nesting birds and amorous rhinos are just a few of the bizarre insurance excuses logged by RAC Financial Services’ insurance division in recent months.

Staff at RAC Insurance have been logging the more unusual explanations offered on claim forms, with men, it seems, particularly prone to weird experiences on the roads. As voted by RAC’s insurance team, the "10 greatest insurance excuses... ever" are:

• A cow appeared from nowhere and started kicking my car door.

• I'm not very good at driving and confused the accelerator with the brake.

• A builder popped out of a manhole cover and I swerved dramatically to avoid decapitating him.

• An incompetent mechanic drove my car off a raised ramp while looking for the bonnet release.

• l got so excited singing the national anthem during a football match that I smashed my van into a traffic light.

• A mad cyclist purposefully scratched my vehicle with his Thermos flask.

• The road just looked different yesterday.

• It's the police's fault - I crashed into a lamp-post as I made way for a patrol car.

• I was carefully observing a rare bird nesting and missed the road ahead.

• Vehicle damaged on safari park outing by George, an amorous rhino.

"The majority of insurance claim forms are straightforward, but occasionally we see a story that really makes us chuckle"’ said RAC financial services managing director Jason Richards. "Oddly though, it seems that men in particular have all kinds of adventures on the roads."

Motoring psychologist Conrad King said: "Good driving skills are also seen by men as an important part of masculinity."