A child biking home from school has just scratched my car!!!

[onyabikeivy]

So we live a 10 minute walk from a secondary school. At about ten past 3 I was coming up to the junction at the top of my cul de sac and as I looked left I saw a girl on her bike on the path but she had her feet down like she was stopping but kept moving along clearly hadn't seen me and when she did she tried to stop but was too late and hit my car and dragged her handle bars along the passenger door of my car causing a dent then she picked her bike off my car and started to bike away, I called out to her that she has scratched my car (I've rubbed the scratch out so now just a long dent) and she said sorry and biked away.
So aibu to contact the school and ask them to address road safety with the kids?? It's a new school So only has a couple of year groups but travelling along the road I was heading on to always means you have to avoid kids walking in the road. Also would it be crazy to suggest they mention this incident in the hope someone would come forward and take responsibility??

OP hasn't said child isn't allowed to make a mistake.

She asked if it's worth mentioning to school to reinforce safety messages.

And to some £100-200 to fix a dent is a lot of money. It's not precious to want your expensive items to remain in good condition through no fault of your own.

I was on a busy road in the early evening. Young kid on bike pulled straight out in front of me and bounced off my bonnet. My old Metro was a write off. Police called. Kid had a bruised knee. I was a quivering, sobbing mess. The kids dad paid me £500. And I hope the stupid twat never let his young kid out on a main road with no lights on again at rush hour!!

The kids dad paid me £500. And I hope the stupid twat never let his young kid out on a main road with no lights on again at rush hour

How nice. He paid you and you're still calling him names? You were ok, kid was ok. A car is a heap of metal. I think a sense of proportion is needed.

This happened to me a few years ago except it was a 3 year old on the bike. I immediately got out of the car and asked if he was ok and where his parents were. He didn't seem to be verbal apart from saying 'ow'. He then got back on his bike and off he went (using it like a balance bike). I couldn't follow as I had 2 young children in my car.

I phoned the non emergency number but could get though so called 999. I was worried he could have all sorts of injuries that weren't visible. They were really reassuring and not shocked at the incident (I was horrified, first of all that it happened and then secondly that a 3 year old was out on a bike by himself - this wasn't a quiet little cul de sac). I went into a police station to make a statement the next day. Nothing ever came of it.

I didn't care about the scratches on my car as just kept thinking about what could have happened if it had been a couple of second earlier or later and he had ended up under the car.

OP - definitely contact the school. Road safety messages clearly need to be reinforced.

@fairweathervyclist.
Did I say I was more concerned about my car? No.
Did I say I was a quivering wreck? Yes. He could have been killed.
Was I angry his parents let their young child out on a bike with no lights on an A road? Yes.
Did I say I demanded money? No. The police told him to pay.

Are you are the type of forum user that like to find fault and try to wind people up? Yes.

I'd happily share the pavement with children cycling to school

I wouldn't. DD was bowled over as a 3 year old by a teenager on a bike on the pavement. He never even stopped.
Then let's count the number of elderly who have been knocked over by kids on bikes.

Recently I was at a rather large event. Car park was full so Cara were parked alongside main road on grass verge. This was fine and ok to park there.

Walking with friend to get her car during break as car park emptying out. Could hear noise behind me and noted 3 yo (?) on balance bike being chased by birthed of about 9/10.
Parents maybe 10/15m behind them.

Knowing they'd want to speed i started mentally planning at point ahead I could side step (path was about foot wide and friend and I walking single file) to let them by.

Suddenly the boy crashed full on onto the back of my leg breaking my new flip flop, ripping the bottom of my trousers and bruising my leg. I lifted leg across by body and they carried on saying nothing. They waited at next wife spot for parents and I said something to them (polite).

Parents then defended kids "well they wanted to get by"

Of course I was pissed off about clothing despite being less than £30 to replace. But the point is I shouldn't have had to be replacing them. But my concern is more that this kid may grow up without responsibility and that places him at greater risk.

Same as others are saying. It's not the actual incident but hoping something is learnt from it that may prevent a repeat or worse in the future.

@HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend

The OP drove slowly up to a junction and came to a full stop in order to look and wait for it to clear so she could pull out. Whilst sitting st the junction, she looked to get left and could see a child riding a bike on the pavement and coming towards her. The child on the bike could have turned win the pavement and gone back down the road OP had just drive, or if she wanted to cross the road then she'd need to stop and wait until it was clear. Instead, the kid on the bike just came off the pavement and went straight into the side of OP's stationary car. The handlebars of the bike have scratched the car as the bike has impacted and twisted. If a pedestrian was coming up to a crossing point and a car was sitting stationary waiting to turn, and the pedestrian just walked into the side of the car then you'd call the pedestrian an idiot for stepping out into the road and walking into the side of a car. The kid on the bike should not have been on the pavement but she was, and instead if breaking at a crossing point she just came off and went straight across the road... right into the side of a stopped car.