Advice sought after a small bump with a car that failed to stop

Yes

-- Malc

*You* have to go to the police station?? Just try to find a replacement mirror on ebay or a breakers and think yourself lucky that it wasn't worse.

Failure to stop when involved in a car accident is a criminal offence, so you should *make sure* some police officers go round to the owners address to look for evidence on the other car (all assuming of course that the other vehicle is actually registered). From there you will find out if the other party has any insurance, and the CPS will look into whether there is a case to answer. Sounds like you had other people in the car, so you also have witnesses along with the evidence on your cars.

In my experience though, you will have to be a right pain in the *** to get the police to check it out, preferably doing so face to face when you drop off your docs.

Good luck, Andy.

looking for some advce on what to do after a small accident.

We had our wing mirror clipped yesterday by an oncoming car straddling the white line. Luckily that was all the damage as we had our 3 kids in the back and needless to say I got a fright and there was a wiff of poo.

The other vehicle didn't stop and sped through the next village at a rate of knots, but I managed to catch up and take their details down.

During the period I was following them, while they were stuck behind another vehicle, they were swerving about the road and breaking suddenly and didn't look in control of the car. They then reached the A24 and took off at over 90mph and I left them to it.

We reported this to the Police as we thought that from the drivers actions they appeared to be under the influence and I have to pop into the Police Station tonight with my docs.

My question is, what happens from here? It is going to cost me well over £100 to replace the wing mirror and I can't see there being much point in putting it through the insurance as the other driver is bound to deny it/say it was our fault or generally try to wriggle out of it.

I don't have much faith in the police following up my call either so there will be no proof that they were drunk/were missing part of their wing mirror and so on.

Is this a case of putting it down to experience and digging deep into my already empty wallet?

Thanks for your advice.

I took a minor bump on my rear end at a nearby single lane bridge underpass. It was "iffy" as the car was full of kids gesturing me to move, despite having hit me...

I was already on the phone to the police as I stepped out of the car, at which point they realised they were in shit, reversed (almost hitting a car behind them) and driving around me (very nearly hitting me) to the now-clear road ahead.

The upshot was the police said they couldn't do anything about it, as it was "no registered owner" (therefore uninsured etc).

Nice huh - they could have squished me as they drove away, but the police still wouldn't give a shit or know where to start...

You still have to report the material fact to the insurance, that you were involved in a RTA. The insurance company will increase your premium, as they see this as a risk.

"Colin Wilson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news.individual.net...

Wonderful system at its best. These days from eprsonal experience I find the police to be a bit useless to put it mildly.

Out of curiosity enter the reg number at

to see ifthere is insurance on the car.

Well,

what a night it was.

I left work in Reigate after a busy day and drove over to Dorking which is my local Police Station to hand in my details.

The station was closed due to 'unforseen circumstances' so I left to drive home. Got 3/4 of the way down the A24 when I found that there had been a major accident which closed the road. So I drove all the way back up to Dorking and took a back road over the hill to home.

Got on the phone and spoke to Reigate Police Station to ask what I should do and they said that to maintain 'legal integrity' I have to come in tonight and hand my docs in. So, I get back in the car and take a different back road all the way over to Reigate. Hand my details in, get woolly answers as to what happens next and what I can do as the victim and then get back in the car and spend the next hour stuck in a huge tailback down a back road as everyone and their dog tries to detour round the A24 accident.

Finally get home with the orange petrol light on, p*ssed off and no better off than I was before.

What a complete and utter waste of time. I am still going to have to pay for the repairs myself, my insurance will go up and the only person who seems to have got away with it all is the guy who hit me as he will probably just nick the bits he needs off someone elses car.

I would like to think of this as a learning experience but to be honest I haven't really learn't anything. I knew this countries legal system only really benefits the criminal. And as always, the honest, hard working people are yet again left to pay.

Oh, just out of interest, I put the reg details into askmid.com (as suggested by Redwood) and it said that it 'is NOT on the Motor Insurance Database today'.

I don't think this is 100% proof that it was uninsured is it? just likely judging by the other drivers actions.

johannes,

I suspect that there are companies out there that will - but a *good* insurance company won't increase a premium simply for reporting that fact.

Over the years, I have notified my company three times of minor RTA's that I have been involved in(once when I was hit by a bus full of school children) for "information only" (as required under the T&Cs) [1] - and my premiums stayed the same.

These were not my fault and no obvious damage was caused (apart from a few scratches on the paintwork and some lost hair off my head) and the reasons for notifying my insurance company was simply to cover my bum.

As a matter of interest, I have been with the same company for 29 years this year, and have *never had a problem when claiming, and they have never been seriously beaten on price by other companies - even over the internet - on a genuine like-for-like cover.

[1] For the uninitiated, that simply means that you do not intend at that stage, to make a claim for damages etc, but merely to inform them of the accident and that you may have to claim for repairs if 'hidden' damage is revealed at a later date - or the other party decides to claim against you for any reason some time after the incident.

BRG

Did you also speed?

Breaking what? While they were braking?

How do you know?

I bet that they had a jolly good laugh, based on the preceding statements.

You've sort of admitted to speeding twice so far. Time to keep quiet!

Yup. Mirrors are cheap. Plod investigating your speeding, the bloke you grass up setting fire to your house out of revenge, the hike in insurance rates are gonna cost a lot more.

Al.

No. as a member of the Community Speed Watch, a Parish Councillor and a general good guy I sat at 40 (the limit in our village) and then went to 60 (the limit on a derestricted road) until I caught up with them behind another vehicle.

Brilliant! Love comments like that.

This was an estimate based on my speed (60) and the speed at which they disappeared at.

Good points. But if everyone did this the 'bad' guys would always get away with it. Although whether my actions will result in anything is another point.

thanks.