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Original poster

Went into a back of a car this morning...help

54 replies

lalalalalala123 · 16/03/2023 14:30

Car stationery in front had a newly qualified driver in but no P plates, junction was clear , she went to go but then for some unknown reason slammed her brakes on. I went into the back of her I was also stationery before this so not at great speed - I know I am at fault. There was barely any damage to her car (took photo), a tiny panel on the back looked like it had very slightly popped out, but nothing more. My car came off worse with a smashed numberplate and silver trim at front cracked off. We exchanged details, her mom has just left a voicemail to say they've took it to a garage and the bumpers been damaged and theres paint and scuff marks so shes asked me for a call back so she can talk through the quote or she will just go through insurance....what would you do in this circumstance?! I'm shocked as there was no damage to her bumper that I could see or can see now in the photo and no scratches either...how do I know shes being legit. I'm so stressed I have NO money to pay for this but I guess I'll have to suck it up...

OP posts:
Oigetoffmylawn · 16/03/2023 15:22

My car was written off in a very similar shunt. It barely looked damaged at all but the structural integrity was shot.

Go through insurance.

ProfessorSlocombe · 16/03/2023 15:22

MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 16/03/2023 14:58

Actually it might not be your fault. I certainly wouldn't be accepting the blame.

Cases have gone to court when people have broke hard to avoid an animal and it has been the person that broke that was judged to be at fault.

Fascinating.

Any cites ?

AdInfinitum12 · 16/03/2023 15:25

ProfessorSlocombe · 16/03/2023 15:22

Fascinating.

Any cites ?

Show quote history

They'll have no cites at all because it's clearly bollocks.

If the person in front of you slams their brakes on and you haven't left enough space to also stop, then it's your fault.

Nimbostratus100 · 16/03/2023 15:26

MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 16/03/2023 14:58

Actually it might not be your fault. I certainly wouldn't be accepting the blame.

Cases have gone to court when people have broke hard to avoid an animal and it has been the person that broke that was judged to be at fault.

on a straight road, not at a junction or roundabout, and very rarely, even then

Nimbostratus100 · 16/03/2023 15:26

Nimbostratus100 · 16/03/2023 15:26

on a straight road, not at a junction or roundabout, and very rarely, even then

Show quote history

actually, not even if both cars are on the straight road

albapunk · 16/03/2023 15:27

Just go through insurance.

It's irrelevant that she didn't have P plates. As an exprienced driver you should have known to leave reasonable distance between yourself and the car in front. Even when moving slowly.

People hard brake for all sorts of reasons.

Protect yourself by going via insurance, always.

wheelear · 16/03/2023 15:28

This happened to me recently they went through a green light which then turned to orange and they slammed on their breaks we were both past the lights by this point and I went into the back of them.
Go through insurance
I did and told them it was my fault as at the end of the day going into the back of someone it usually is
The circumstances sound similar but insurance nearly always blame the person behind
Chalk it up to experience it's horrible when it happens but no one was hurt is the main thing

alloalloallo · 16/03/2023 15:36

I’d let your insurance deal with it.

I went into the back of my own DH at low speed (I know, I know, he’s never let me live it down) and it caused a surprising amount of damage to both cars - it didn’t look at all like there was any damage to DH’s car, but once we got home and opened the boot, he couldn’t close it again.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 16/03/2023 15:46

This is why you have insurance!!!

People ran into the back of me twice last year! The bill was over £4k each time. Deep damage may be worse than what you can see superficially.

NcagainforMarch · 16/03/2023 15:59

There wont be any debating it with the insurance sadly.

A few years ago I had a woman change lanes on me on a roundabout, narrowly missing me. I'd peeped to say, "Stop, I'm here" but she carried on anyway forcing me to brake hard.
As she drove up the road her hand came out the drivers window flicking me V signs and then, she braked. Hard. I hit her.

I had 2 witnesses in the bus stop who went on record to say it was malicious, plus a dash cam that showed the whole incident. Ultimately though, I was too close, it was my fault and it went down as a fault claim.
My lesson from this was next time, back off, let them crack on. Happily it didn't affect my premiums and I'd protected my no claims. My insurance actually came down the following year.

MissGroves · 16/03/2023 16:07

HangerLaneGyratorySystem · 16/03/2023 14:34

Yeah they will just pay out regardless; go through insurance. No harm in trying to go for 50:50 fault - do you have NCB?

She can't go 50/50 fault - OP was entirely at fault (which she admits) - she was obviously too close otherwise she would have had time to stop.

Actuallydeliver · 16/03/2023 16:09

If she was stationary on a roundabout, went to go again but put her brakes on I find it hard to believe she ‘slammed’ her brakes on. So many cars go into the back of others when approaching a roundabout, usually because they are focusing on the roundabout rather than the car in front and just presume the other car has taken the chance to enter the roundabout. Whether she put her brakes on or not, it’s your responsibility to leave a gap and drive accordingly behind the other driver

Perhaps she saw something you didn’t and decided to apply her brakes. Perhaps she stalled the car, which happens to lots of people not just new drivers.

FirstnameSuesecondnamePerb · 16/03/2023 16:17

Op you have accepted that you were at fault.
Just pick up the phone and report it to your insurance. Its what you pay for.

GoodChat · 16/03/2023 17:00

I've gone into the back of someone before. Side road pulling out on to a 60mph main road. The main road was clear and I, as an experienced driver, assumed she'd pulled out so went to go while watching the main road. She hadn't gone. She was sat texting, at a junction with her engine running.

Still 100% my fault. I went in to the back of her. It's my responsibility to check my path is clear. There's no disputing fault here. The OP isn't even disputing fault. The girl will be shook up as it is. There's no reason to cause her unnecessary grief.

Original poster
lalalalalala123 · 16/03/2023 20:34

Thanks all I have reported to my insurers, just to clarify I know I am at fault I put that clearly on my post, I was more asking people if it was worth settling outside the insurers or not.

Just to top my day off I came out of work to a parking ticket, I was in that much of a state after the bump as was so angry with myself I totally forgot to pay for the car park I've parked at 3 times a week for the last 2 years 🙇‍♀️

OP posts:
londonloves · 16/03/2023 21:04

Go through insurance, no doubt. You'll get scammed otherwise.

SinnerBoy · 16/03/2023 23:58

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · Today 14:51

So if you were to crash into a teenager (or anyone) because you weren't paying attention and hadn't left yourself enough space to stop, your first reaction would be "how can I fuck them over even more by trying to put the blame on them". Aren't you a delight.

I simply pointed out that people do do this. The OP said that the other driver braked hard, for no apparent reason, on a clear junction.

I'm not saying for certain that it's crash for cash, but it's a typical scenario for that sort of thing. And in 30 years of motorbikes and cars, I've never run into the back of a car on the road.

Slight dings in car parks excepted and I've stopped, apologised, given my details and either paid, or we've referred it to my insurance.

XanaduKira · 17/03/2023 01:16

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 16/03/2023 14:38

I had this happen to me a few years ago, bumper looked fine, barely any scuffing but when I got home and opened the boot I couldn't close it again. Turned out the plastic bumper had just bent and bounced back but the internal stuff had buckled and pushed in by about an inch so when I was trying to close the boot it couldn't reach the latch. Car was written off because it would have cost more than it was worth to fix.

I had this too - looked like no damage at all but there was a lot of internal damage and car was written off.

LadyJ2023 · 17/03/2023 01:35

Sorry coming from a family of mechanics what you see on the outside is not always what's o the inside. The amount of crashed cars we deal with that look like a scuffed wheel,broken trim etc and turns out into a big job cracked springs or discs etc. Go thru insurance get them to sort it

Looneytune253 · 17/03/2023 07:22

Can't believe the comments on here telling the op to go for 50/50. This happened to us and it was horrendous. 2 years of waiting for court case for an accident we weren't liable for. Thankfully the insurance company decided to back us all the way even tho there was no evidence. They'd even said afterwards they wouldn't often win a case like that but dh was so cool and calm and told everything so honestly he came accross as more believable. But honestly it was the most stressful cpl of years and we had other stresses in our lives at that time and really didn't need it

ZekeZeke · 17/03/2023 08:26

In Ireland Novice drivers MUST have N plates. If they don't they can receive a 10k fine, penalty points and a ban.
Novice plates ensure you drive even more cautiously behind the vehicle.

Yes it was your fault you rear ended them but does the Novice driver have any blame? I'm yes, if the right plates were not clearly shown.

Butitsnotfunnyisititsserious · 17/03/2023 08:29

MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 16/03/2023 14:58

Actually it might not be your fault. I certainly wouldn't be accepting the blame.

Cases have gone to court when people have broke hard to avoid an animal and it has been the person that broke that was judged to be at fault.

It was her fault. She wasn't paying attention, if she had looked before accelerating, she wouldn't have gone into the back of her as she'd have noticed the brake lights.

SoupDragon · 17/03/2023 08:37

ZekeZeke · 17/03/2023 08:26

In Ireland Novice drivers MUST have N plates. If they don't they can receive a 10k fine, penalty points and a ban.
Novice plates ensure you drive even more cautiously behind the vehicle.

Yes it was your fault you rear ended them but does the Novice driver have any blame? I'm yes, if the right plates were not clearly shown.

There's no legal requirement to display P plates in the U.K. (NI apparently needs R plates)

ZekeZeke · 17/03/2023 08:47

SoupDragon · 17/03/2023 08:37

There's no legal requirement to display P plates in the U.K. (NI apparently needs R plates)

Show quote history

Thanks for the clarification on that point

2chocolateoranges · 17/03/2023 08:55

ZekeZeke · 17/03/2023 08:26

In Ireland Novice drivers MUST have N plates. If they don't they can receive a 10k fine, penalty points and a ban.
Novice plates ensure you drive even more cautiously behind the vehicle.

Yes it was your fault you rear ended them but does the Novice driver have any blame? I'm yes, if the right plates were not clearly shown.

When mine passed their test I encouraged them to use the P plates to let other drivers know that they had just passed however dd said they made her feel more vulnerable as people would sit so close to her and shout at her when she was at junctions or trying to park etc. I witnessed it, she’s a perfectly good driver.

some drivers take the piss when they see the P plate and try to intimidate young girls when driving.

im glad you haven’t taken @SinnerBoy advice, that’s terrible advice trying to blame a newly qualified driver.

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