With tickets for the forthcoming festival season due to go on sale, music lovers have been advised to take a moment to consider the hidden costs of getting to a muddy field and back again.

For, alongside the cost of entrance itself and the inflated cost of booze and band merchandise, many people would be wise to look into extending their car insurance policies before they depart.

According to the recently-published AA British Insurance Premium Index, drivers under the age of 21 are five times more likely to have an accident than those aged over 35, and therefore the average festival audience is at considerable risk of having at least a couple of mishaps.

Despite this, a significant proportion of those attending such events could actually be without adequate cover, despite beliefs to the contrary.

Erik Nelson, a spokesman for the RAC, explained: "If a person wanted to drive a friend's car and were insured fully comprehensively on their own vehicle they would be third party only on their friend's car.

"There is a lot of misunderstanding about this. If your friend crashes your car, say he puts it into a tree, you are going to face 100 per cent of the bill."

Only by adding a friend onto a policy as a named driver will they be fully covered in the event of a bump, he added.

Though many drivers will simply fancy their chances of being able to drive all the way their and back, factors such as falling sick due to poor weather, a lack of sleep or excess of alcohol, need to be taken into consideration, with parents advised to sort out the relevant paperwork if necessary.

Indeed, even the parents of the best-behaved children should take precautions and advise their offspring against the potential dangers of being in control of a vehicle while under the influence of either alcohol or illegal drugs.

Of the 14,350 road casualties seen in 2006, six per cent were caused by someone driving while over the limit, the government revealed last year.

Furthermore, recent research carried out by the Department for Transport at the V Festival found that drug driving was most likely to occur for convenience reasons rather than due to any pre-meditated intent, with drivers helping their friends home after a night in the pub or at a party.

"Our recommendation is always abstinence is always the best policy," Mr Nelson added.

"If you want to be in control of the vehicle, abstain."