No school prom, university ball or hen night is complete nowadays without the appearance of an obscenely long stretch limo.
Coming in all colours from garish pink to ice-cool white, they're no longer the sole privilege of the Hollywood gliterazzi, but are more likely to contain champagne-guzzling party girls and tuxed-up chaps puffing on cigars.
But, according to politicians and industry watchdogs, more than half the limo's touting for business in Britain are operating illegally, crowding in far too many guests and, in doing so, invalidating their motor insurance.
The law allows for up to eight frolicking party animals to travel in a limo at any one time, yet there have been reports of as many as 16 people squeezing in, with the operators and drivers turning a blind eye.
The issue has started to gain the attention of authorities, and Mike Pringle, MSP for Edinburgh South, called on police checks to ensure that stretch limos are not exceeding their legal passenger allowance.
Speaking to a newspaper, he said, "One of the concerns is that, if a limousine is carrying up to 16 people, does that completely invalidate the motor insurance by going beyond its licence conditions? It's not clear what would happen if there's a serious accident."
A spokesman for Hoot Car Insurance Services, the young driver car insurance experts, commented, "By jamming too many people into a stretch limo you could be compromising not only the conditions of your motor insurance, but also the safety of your customers.
"The police are likely to come down hard on anyone risking the welfare of the public in this way."