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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:
bookwormsforever · 07/01/2019 07:58

As you have had one collision, you'll likely have another in the near future.

What's that fact based on, @steadtler?

Jent13c · 07/01/2019 08:00

Car accidents happen all day every day, especially minor bumps like your one. You need to get back on the road as soon as possible. I would not find it reasonable for you to take a day off work after a minor bump in the car. If you cant drive/car not suitable you need to find an alternative way to get to work.

Also, go through insurance. Its £750 excess which is high but it protects you if he claims for personal injury/loss of earnings etc.etc. etc.
Also you will need your car fixed and if your kids are young enough for car seats they need replaced after any accident.

bookwormsforever · 07/01/2019 08:01

I thought the lights were still green, turns out they had gone red

Hmm, sounds like you need to be a bit more careful at lights. Lights go amber before they go red.

But it also sounds like the other driver could be conning you. Tell your insurance company, go through insurance and tell them you think the other driver's car is SORNed.

MyOtherProfile · 07/01/2019 08:04

How do you know they had gone red? Did he tell you that? It could be that he jumped them.

NC0301191141 · 07/01/2019 08:05

Don't think anyone's mentioned this yet, but are you sure all the damage to the back of his car was all your fault? If yours is so unscathed I'm surprised his has so much damage.

I suspect if you tell him you'd prefer to go through your insurance he'll miraculously change his mind.

Take it as a lesson learned. Pay more attention at lights and leave more stopping distance.

And yes, get right back on that horse so to speak and get on the road today. You'll be absolutely fine.

Racecardriver · 07/01/2019 08:06

Did you actually cause the damage? Sounds a bit unlikely that your car would be unscathed and his would be so badly masked up that he couldn’t open his boot. At the end of the day you are just going to have to weigh up the cost that he tries to scam you out of is quoted with the cost of your excess and increased premiums and put it down to experience.

Jubba · 07/01/2019 08:07

Some insurers have it in heir terms that you have to let them know if you’ve had a crash. Regardless of whether you claim or not. I’m with admiral and I have too. I reversed into the back of a truck. Left my number. Never heard a thing. I rang my insurer and I would of been devoid of insurance had I not told them. So please check!

ladyflower23 · 07/01/2019 08:09

How certain are you that the light wasn't still green? There are scammers who deliberately stop so that person behind will go into back of them and then they can get money out of them. I think you should be wary and even if you do not claim through your insurance company you are still obliged to make them aware of the accident.

BunsOfAnarchy · 07/01/2019 08:10

As PP said why does he have soo much damage and you only have what sounds like a scratch?

Hes having you on. Tell insurance. Dont get caught in a trap.
I had an accident that raised my premiums for my 1st renewal. 2nd and 3rd have been significantly lower.

Original poster
notagooddayallround · 07/01/2019 08:16

My car is a big 4x4 whereas his was a ancient people carrier , so that's why I think I came away quite unharmed. I have asked him to confirm his registration to me then I will call insurers. Got to get off to work now though, thanks all

OP posts:
akkakk · 07/01/2019 08:18

A lot of people are talking total rubbish on here! All the nonsense about illegal driving / insurance invalid / etc is all speculation...

Just keep it simple - tell your insurance company as a notification (not a claim) then if he wants to claim he goes through his insurance company or he can go directly to your insurance company - whether he is legally covered or not to drive on the road is irrelevant - he still has a claim against you and can pursue you / your insurance company directly - he has no need to go through his own insurance company and even if he is driving illegally and has no insurance that is a different issue and he is still entitled to pursue you...

So tell your insurance company / tell him to talk to your insurance company / move on

Lovemusic33 · 07/01/2019 08:21

Are you sure he didn’t break in perpose and the lights had not changed? This is a common crime where people do it to get money out of people. His car is a old banger so insurance company are likely to right it off? The car was SORN, chances are he’s not insured either. I would go through insurance.

Yes, if the lights had changed then it was your fault but this is what insurance is for?

bakingdemon · 07/01/2019 08:23

Do it through insurance - do not settle privately. If you settle privately you accept liability for any further claims the other driver may make - eg if they come back in a couple of months and claim to have bad whiplash - and your insurance won't cover it. Always, always go through insurance.

treaclesoda · 07/01/2019 08:25

Did you actually cause the damage? Sounds a bit unlikely that your car would be unscathed and his would be so badly masked up that he couldn’t open his boot

Surely that depends on the cars involved? Someone drove into the back of me recently and their car was almost unmarked, whilst the back of mine was bent out of shape and the bumper was broken in two. I was in a small car, they were in a much bigger heavier car. Year ago I was sitting stationery and someone slammed into the back of me. My car wasn't damaged and theirs was a mess. It's pretty common.

ReflectentMonatomism · 07/01/2019 08:27

Some insurers have it in heir terms that you have to let them know if you’ve had a crash. Regardless of whether you claim or not

I would be amazed if there are any retail vehicle insurers (as opposed to fleet schemes with massive excesses, which are essentially re-insurance) for which that is not true.

BonnesVacances · 07/01/2019 08:32

As you have had one collision, you'll likely have another in the near future.

What's that fact based on, @steadtler?

Bookworm, this is a statistical fact, or rather it's 'once you have had a claim, you are more likely to have another'. I had a very long conversation with a very senior insurance actuary about this as my insurance had gone up after a neighbour reversed into our car and I was livid. He explained it to me.

SofiaAmes · 07/01/2019 08:32

I am in the USA, so perhaps it's different here. But here, if the accident damage is under a certain amount (it varies by State, but I think it's $1000 in California) and no one is injured, there is no duty to report to the authorities or the insurance company. For a small fender bender, you would just have them sign off on a letter saying they accept the payment in full for damages and that there were no injuries.

My dd was rear ended at a very slow speed recently (by her friend) and there was almost no damage to our car and lots to her friend's car. Both were similar sized SUV's. It was just the angle in which they hit.

ReflectentMonatomism · 07/01/2019 08:44

In the UK, all accidents which cause damage are reportable. 1988 Road Traffic Act, S.170 (although it’s been the case since the 1930s, and I believe prior to that it was held to be a common law requirement).

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/170

Failure to report accidents is a criminal, not civil, offence.

SirGawain · 07/01/2019 08:54

OP did you also check the Motor Insurers Database to check that he’s actually insured. I was hit by an uninsured driver and my insurers handed the case to them. MIB handled the whole thing, and, as the accident was not my fault I did not lose my no claims discount.

bridgetreilly · 07/01/2019 08:55

How do you know they had gone red? Did he tell you that? It could be that he jumped them.

Huh? OP ran into the back of the car in front. He was stopping (claiming it was for a red light that she hadn't noticed). How could him jumping a red light possibly have been the cause?

And besides, it actually doesn't matter what the lights were doing, if you're behind, it's your fault. You should be paying attention to the car in front as well as the lights.

treaclesoda · 07/01/2019 08:58

Failure to report accidents is a criminal, not civil, offence.

And yet if you ring the police to report one they will tell you that they aren't interested. If you are really lucky they might take a note and give you a reference number but generally unless there is an injury they will tell you to get lost.

ReflectentMonatomism · 07/01/2019 09:02

The crash for cash brigade often don’t have brake lights.

One of the main reasons for the rise in dashcams is for precisely this reason. By the strict reading of the HIghway Code if you rear end a car which has no brake lights you are still liable, but back in the real world no insurance company is going to wear that and will refuse the claim. That implicitly invites the “victim” to chance their arm in court, but it’s not likely to end well for them (especially as their own insurance company, if there is one, will probably refuse to support the action).

ReflectentMonatomism · 07/01/2019 09:03

And yet if you ring the police to report one they will tell you that they aren't interested

That you have to report it doesn’t mean that they have to do anything about it, sadly. But the same’s true of burglary.

steadtler · 07/01/2019 09:04

This is the thread that keeps on giving. The bad advice is amazing.

treaclesoda · 07/01/2019 09:08

That you have to report it doesn’t mean that they have to do anything about it, sadly. But the same’s true of burglary.

Agreed. I was once the victim of an attempted car jacking and was told that unless I had the name of the perpetrator they wouldn't even record it. Hmm How the hell was I supposed to know the name of some random car jacker?

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