Something they don't teach you when your learning to drive.?
I only ask because one of my friends had some old guy bump her the other day and he tried to persuade her to have the car fixed by not going through the insurance companies.
She did call them, and although he reckons he has been 'advised' not to give her his insurance details (she got his number plate though) it made me think.
What IS the right procedure? Do you call the police?
Answers:
This all depends on the country that this happens in. In the UK the law is that 1, you must stop after an accident. You can be prosecuted for failing to stop. 2. Provide your name and address and insurance details. 3. In the case of injury or third party damage i.e. you run into someones fence and bend it, you must report to the police within 24 hours.
Run over a cat no problem but hit a dog and you must report it to the police.
Never admit liability but also don't go making wild claims.
Its always best to go through the insurance company for several reasons, ie. the bumper on a focus is flexible and in the event of a rear end shunt damage to the vehicle frame may not show up to a casual inspection, but will be found by a mechanic and when your told your car is a write off as well as being surprised you can be glad you went through the insurance company.
Also injuries like whiplash may not reveal themselves for a while and if you have dealt without the insurance company you could loose any claim for compensation.
Dave B
You are obliged (UK anyway) to give your name and address and also the name of your insurance company. If he's playing funny, go to the police as he's breaking the law by not giving you his details. You are however usually better off avoiding the insurers if the guy's happy to pay for the damage and admits liability.
Yep think she should have called the Police!
Mr Fender bender was trying to pull a fast one!
Not go thru the insurance, sounds well dodgy.
yes she could go to court and get alot of money
insurance companies she need to go through and let them deal with it, pass all the information on to the company (IE) Reg plate etc..
Hey there , if i would hav been there in ur frnds place i would hav settled it out there why to simply put that old man into more trouble.
depends on the severity.. typical advice is to never admit fault. even if you are to fault apparently! but nevertheless, apologising will lead to your higher premium!
In small bumps, you should get to the side of the road, to avoid holding up traffic and exchange insurance details.
you should never ever drive off. aka paris hilton.
in larger situations, anything where there's a possibility of minor injury, you should call the police so a report is made.
There's nothing wrong with not going through insurance if both parties agree with vehicle cosmetic damage. only you should question whether the other person actually has insurance, it's a crime not to, and this should be exposed.
Some idiot taxi driver reversed into my merc when I was parked (and he had the cheek to say I came out of nowhere!). He tried to drive off and I had to run after him and bang on his car with my keys to attract his attention. He was very reluctant to give his details but I got my barrister husband on the phone to speak to him and he soon realised he'd better swop details.
Perhaps the guy who pranged your friend's car didn't have insurance - it's usually the way when people try and settle without involving their insurance company. In those particular circumstances, when the other driver was so reluctant to give his details, I would definately have called the police - seems to me that he was trying to hide something.
Regardless of the severity of the accident, you should call the police to have them write up a report. In some states, this official report by police is one of the only accounts accepted in court. You should also exchange insurance information with the other party, or if they will not give you their insurance information, take down their plates, and any other identifying information they will give you. Under no circumstances should you discuss fault with the other party. Even if the other party leaves before the arrival of police, wait for the police, so you can make sure a report gets filed.
yes you call the police. they guy whom she hit probably didn't have insurance which is why he didn't want it fixed by going through the insurance company. here where i live- that is a common occurance. people with no insurance. they will tell you- no problem, don't worry about it, then a week or so later- show up with a bill they want you to pay for fixing their car (this happened to a friend). the person who she hit and did this to her was an illegal immigrant that didn't have insurance or a driver's liscence. if this man drove away after the accident- he can be charged with leaving the scene of an accident- especially if there were injuries. or property damage- i'm not sure- but any accident should be reported to the police.
different areas have different laws but basically if you want a police report you must stay at the scene of the accident until police arrive-- once you leave the police generally cannot furnish a report.. there is also a form known as a blue form that is used if you leave the scene-- that you fill out basically and tell what happened and send it to your insurance company--- when in doubt call the police --- always get the other persons insurance info off their card --- dl number -- phone and address--- certain areas have restrictions on money amount --for example if it appears less tha $1000 damage-- the police may not be required to take a report-- this is common in large cities--some accidents are " unreportable" in some states--- for example you are at work on a private lot and bang into one another-- if the area is not "public" it is not always reportable ---- hope that helps
call the police immediately if you can. that will keep the b.s. quotient to a minimum. the police will know exactly what to do.
The police will not come unless someone is injured. I suppose if you explain that the person refuses to give their details and you have reason to believe that they are not insured they may. Or roll around in pain, hold your neck and shout Owww! a lot.
If you have a camera on your phone, get photographs if you are not at fault. Also of the other driver - It will spook them if nothing else
well it depends, a lot of people don't like going through the insurance because of their no claims and the price will rise but i think it depends on how serious it is. Obviously if the car is very damaged then it will have to go through the insurance but if it is minor it can be sorted out privately. My bf bumped a car a while back and it needed a new bumper and wing so he offered to pay for the parts and fit them for her so he wouldn't have to go through the insurance, he had been driving less than a year so it would have really cost him.
If you can sort the parts out yourself and can fit them or you are willing to pay someone to fit them for the owner of the damaged car i think it's okay to not inform the insurance company's and ruin your reputation but if there is very bad damage and you are injured i think you have no choice but to go to their insurance company.
The bloke is obviously pissed off cause his insurance will rise but he should of offered to repair the damage if he wasn't going to claim the bump, she has no choice but to contact them.
Good luck
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