To not bail DD out with car damage

Why are so many people apparently content to invalidate their insurance by not telling their insurance company they’ve had an accident ?

Clipped from the website of the Association of British Insurers (my bold)

Phone your insurer as soon as possible. You will need to inform them of the accident during the time period set out on your policy, which can be anything from two days to two weeks. Otherwise you risk your policy becoming invalid.

Inform your insurance company about all accidents, even if you don’t want to make a claim.

If the accident involved another driver, you will need to provide your insurance company with:
Their name, address and contact details
Their vehicle registration number
Their insurance details

But if he hadn't, you would have been fucked. And had you just gone through insurance, you wouldn't have had to deal with him. (I know you know this!)

Oh yes, it taught me a valuable lesson!

YANBU

She can go to her insurer. If she doesnt have the money, she can go make it, do overtime at work, sell some of her crap on vinted, whatever it takes

There are so many spoilt brats who rely on mummy and daddy to buy them a new car when they crash theirs. Good on you for not allowing your daughter to become one of them

It’s not weird at all, the excess is for repairs to your vehicle and it by far the norm, of course there will be exceptions to this but ordinarily that is the case. Have you got car insurance?

Or borrow off her Mum, pay her back, with interest and avoid paying out 100s in extra premiums...

But the OP knows her DD better than us and clearly thinks that that won't happen.

In which case if you bail her out she will never learn.

I would tell her you don't have that sort if cash so she will need to pay herself or sell something to cover the cost. Perhaps she has a phone that is expensive that she could sell then get a cheap phone until she can save up again? I would even suggest that she sells her car just to make her realise she can't spend her life sponging and to gauge her reaction.

Learning to manage money is so important.

If she genuinely can't do any of the above I would tell her that you can withdraw money from your ISA but you will then lose the interest on that £600 so she will need to pay it back £660 and at £100 a week.

But if he hadn't, you would have been fucked. And had you just gone through insurance, you wouldn't have had to deal with him. (I know you know this!)

She needs to go through the insurance, OP. I don't think the hit to the no claims bonus/premiums will even be that much for such a young driver and a £400 excess.

Or borrow off her Mum, pay her back, with interest and avoid paying out 100s in extra premiums...

You re making out like she drove like an idiot with no regard for anyone, sliding on ice is not her fault, other than she walk (and go ass over tit like my DD did on black ice) and end up in AE, off work for 2 weeks with concussion, you 'd probably blame her that too 😂

Can she prove that, because she’s an incredibly unreliable witness if in 3 months someone says the were sat in the car and the insurer now knows your daughter to be a person to lie by omission as she didn’t report the accident at the time…

I agree that you shouldn't piss around with insurance companies. Many years ago I was hit by a car pulling out of a side road, it dented my nearside rear wing quite badly. The middle-aged bloke in the car said he didn't want to go through insurance so could I get a few quotes and he'd pay. I did and phoned him with them and he said there was no way he could afford that so he'd have to go through insurance after all. When he rang them, apparently they said he'd left it too late and they wouldn't cover it (and presumably put his premium up as well).

Anyway, he had a rant at me - I was a lot younger, nowadays I'd just say 'hang on, who's actually responsible for all this fucking mess?'. But he did at least pay up. If he'd refused to pay I don't know what I'd have done because I'd also actually not informed my insurance company to help him out.

So now I'd do it through insurance every time.

My daughter skidded her car on the ice the other week, thankfully the ABS brakes cut in and no car was damaged. I think I would help her out in this situation as they are still learning and it was possibly a bit of a shock at the time,
I also think the other person has a damaged car which needs to be fixed, its either through the insurance which will spike her insurance up next year or if he other driver is only asking £600 you pay it and deal with her later.

Meant weird doesn’t have to pay the excess

Can she prove that, because she’s an incredibly unreliable witness if in 3 months someone says the were sat in the car and the insurer now knows your daughter to be a person to lie by omission as she didn’t report the accident at the time…

I’d lend it. It isn’t as if she’s spent the money knowing she would need it. It’s a £600 expense she wasn’t expecting.

Anyone with a 15 year old car should be expecting expenses at some point! I've actually come to the conclusion that most 18 year olds (not all) are not responsible enough to take on ownership of a car. I certainly couldn't afford it at 18 and I had no idea about insurance/car tax/MOT/repairs/servicing/breakdown cover even though I'd passed my test.

I would help her out

I think this is quite a good point actually.
Job
College
Passed her test
She's doing better than most
OP I'm guessing you bought her the car? Or did she save?

Exactly

Make her claim on the insurance. She needs to learn her lesson. If her dad gives it her so be it. Do you have the £600 to give her.

This every time.

Even if she decides not to claim through her insurance company she must tell them. Makes more sense to make the claim though.

Can she get by without the car? If so I'd be looking at selling it to cover the cost of the repair to the other car.
Don't bail her out, she has to learn that she's earning money and that has to cover her costs. Whilst the accident was unfortunate, she can't just expect someone else to cover the costs involved! Particularly when she's just booked a holiday.
It's better to learn now that money doesn't grow on trees.......

I’d lend it. It isn’t as if she’s spent the money knowing she would need it. It’s a £600 expense she wasn’t expecting.

You have to let her figure it out. This is all part of owning a car. The responsibility, the headache, admin, unexpected costs. The only way to changed behaviour especially with money is consequences.

I’m not sure it is the law, just part of the contract you have with your insurance company.

Time for tough love, I think. She needs to learn. She's more than old enough to understand that having savings is crucial. Most of us learn this in our early teens. She'll just keep burying her head in the sand if you always help her.

I know how you feel, I'd probably lend it to her with a repayment plan of 3 to 4 months.