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Original poster

Car crash

185 replies

notagooddayallround · 07/01/2019 04:06

Namechanged.

Yesterday I was involved in a minor car crash. Was at a junction, thought the lights were still green, turns out they had gone red and bumped into the car in front at very low speed. No damage to my car (bar the little plastic bumper just popping out) but his car was a bit smashed in, light box smashed, scratches and dents in one corner. Ok.
Drove round corner to exchange phone, name and Reg.

Both drove away from accident happy that he would go and get quotes tomorrow and let me know, as we didn't want to take it through insurance.

I checked his reg this eve on DVLA website and it is mot'd but only has a SORN. Can anyone advise if I should just take this through my insurance?? I haven't been driving long (2-3 years) so obviously don't want my premiums going up massively.

OP posts:
Original poster
notagooddayallround · 07/01/2019 04:07

Other question is , I have work today (which I need to drive to via motorway etc), I have another car to drive but just feeling very very stressed about it right now. Should I take a day to get myself together? I did have DC in the back at time of crash but won't tomorrow on my commute.

OP posts:
steadtler · 07/01/2019 04:22

SORN checks aren't updated in real time.

It sounds like you're trying to wriggle out of your responsibility as the person who drove into the back of another.

Your premiums will likely rise whether his vehicle was SORNed or not. As you have had one collision, you'll likely have another in the near future.

If I were you, I'd take it on the chin and pay rather than become amateur sleuth and pay for it with your costs of running the vehicle.

Original poster
notagooddayallround · 07/01/2019 04:28

If I need to just do it through insurance then that's what it is , but he seemed keen to do it between ourselves. Just looking for some advice really.

OP posts:
Ahardknocklife · 07/01/2019 04:30

Did I read that correctly @Steadtler??? Because OP has had 1 collision they're likely to have another in the near future? I disagree. I had a minor collision in the first 6 months I was driving. 15 years later I'm still driving and have been lucky enough to have a clean license and no further collisions.

OP get yourself on the motorway. Don't let this destroy your confidence. Go to work as normal.

I'm not sure what you should do re: SORN car. It shouldn't be on the road. But morally you should pay for the damage to the car. report to the police for them to investigate? Especially if the other persons car isn't legal.

Monty27 · 07/01/2019 04:34

If it's registered as SORN it's illegal in terms of insurance. I wouldn't offer him a dollar and report him to police. Around where I live ppl apparently do it on purpose to get money outwith the legal system. Apparently

HJWT · 07/01/2019 04:35

@notagooddayallround see what the other person comes back with quote wise, and if its to high tell them you will have to go through insurance, sound like they don't want to be caught out with the tax.

Original poster
notagooddayallround · 07/01/2019 04:38

His car was a bit of an old banger anyway , he was saying that it looked like close to a grands worth of damage , and that he couldn't open his boot. I will see what he comes back with.

OP posts:
steadtler · 07/01/2019 04:39

He'll be keen to avoid insurance as unfortunately, your dangerous driving will likely cost him with increased premiums too.

Flossmequick · 07/01/2019 04:42

Would DVLA tell you if you rang them?

RebootYourEngine · 07/01/2019 04:45

I would contact your insurance company and ask their advice. Or report it to the police. A SORN car shouldn't be on the road and that along with that he is keen to keep it away from insurance company sounds a bit dodgy.

araiwa · 07/01/2019 04:46

You damaged the other car. Either you pay for it yourself or your insuranse can pay. You have to inform your insurer either way.

And yes, people who make claims are more likely to make another than someone who has never claimed- thats why your insurance goes up next year- youre a higher risk of claiming

Seeingadistance · 07/01/2019 04:48

I'd go through the insurance. That's what it's for and I've heard too many horror stories of informal, sort it out ourselves arrangements going badly wrong with the other person coming back with huge repair bills, and sometimes additional bills months later.

Bubs101 · 07/01/2019 04:55

I think regardless of whether the car is SORN or not, i'f I were you i'd just pay and move on, I really don't have the time or the energy to be acting like an apprentice Sherlock Holmes. You did crash in to his car at the end of the day...

steadtler · 07/01/2019 04:58

@Ahardknocklife

You did read it correctly. People who claim are more likely to make subsequent claims. Women are more likely to have more frequent low-speed incidents (reversing into walls) whereas men are more likely to have fewer but more severe accidents. Younger drivers are more accident prone, especially males.

My only accident of any kind was a high-speed one which wrote off my car. I was in my 40s and I'm female.

Your personal experience has a minute bearing on statistics for a large sample.

QuitMoaning · 07/01/2019 05:01

If it's registered as SORN it's illegal in terms of insurance.
Not true.

I sometimes SORN a car of mine and have had to take to an MOT as cannot tax without MOT and car is fully insured.

MyOtherProfile · 07/01/2019 05:02

I would always go through the insurance. Keep it all official and above board. If this man is driving a SORN car he could really try and rip you off.

But for today i would carry on as normal. It was only a minor crash, don't let it affect your life in any other way than to make you a more careful driver.

MsHopey · 07/01/2019 05:04

I think you should pay. Whether you go through the insurance or pay out of pocket is really your choice.
But the accident sounds 100% your fault.
Surely no matter what colour the light is you keep an eye on the car in front, seems a bit crappy to have both stopped and come to a mutually agreeable financial situation to resolve it, then you to change your mind. Seems like you're trying to get out of paying tbh.

Original poster
notagooddayallround · 07/01/2019 05:06

I am happy to pay but didn't know if it was just better to go through insurance to cover myself. Also if he isn't insured then I am also giving the rest of the world the heads up in case he knocks someone down!

OP posts:
WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 07/01/2019 05:06

Your premiums will likely rise whether his vehicle was SORNed or not. As you have had one collision, you'll likely have another in the near future.

Yep. Trees, bridges and crash barriers don't have MoT certificates or tax either, but start hitting them and your insurance will shoot right up.

Whether or not his car was SORN and/or not insured is a matter for the authorities and insurance companies. As far as you're concerned, your faulty driving (obviously not deliberate and can happen to anybody) damaged his property, so you need to put things in motion to make good his loss.

His reluctance to go through insurance companies (which he shouldn't legally do, granted) may be because he has no insurance, but it could equally be because he knows that they'd instantly want to write off his elderly but familiar and reliable vehicle and leave him with nowhere near enough to buy a trustworthy replacement from a stranger.

He may or may not be acting immorally and/or illegally, but your look-out is to act honourably yourself when you were at fault. Sorry.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 07/01/2019 05:08

His reluctance to go through insurance companies (which he shouldn't legally do, granted)

As in, avoiding the insurance companies is what he shouldn't legally do.

wombat1a · 07/01/2019 05:09

Go through the insurance route, that's what you pay it for. If he is dodgy then he will just tell you to forget it. Your premiums will go up regardless because you have to tell them if you had an accident. Depending on the damage then the repair cost for him could very easily come to a 1,000.

steadtler · 07/01/2019 05:11

His reluctance to go through insurance companies (which he shouldn't legally do, granted

Nonsense.

A private arrangement for a claim is perfectly legal.

Flobalob · 07/01/2019 05:12

I would speak to your insurance company and mention that you're not sure the other driver is insured/the SORN thing. The other driver sounds dodgy. Some people do have accidents on purpose to make money so the driver may well suddenly claim they're injured or hugely inflate the bill for repairs.
Someone hit me once. Was profusely apologetic. When my insurance company contacted him he denied hitting my car. Thank God I took pictures of his car with a twisted bonnet plus his car reg. He sold his car to avoid proof that his car was damaged. The insurance co inspected my car to prove I had been hut up the back but without those photos, I'd have been stung with the bill/claim.

Northernlass69 · 07/01/2019 05:14

I wouldn't be paying a grand to someone for an old banger on just their say so. Just go through your insurance company, it will alleviate the stress and anxiety too.

Flobalob · 07/01/2019 05:15

Turns out he had no insurance, hence denying he'd hit me.

What if your driver that you hit doesn't have insurance and goes on to drive into another car or runs over someone? Just tell the person you hit that you have to go through insurance as it's in your terms and conditions.

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