I did something stupid

[Moorlandheather]

I did something really stupid this morning. I clipped someone’s wing mirror (the car I hit was stationary). I didn’t realise what had happened until I was further on.
Then realised the casing around my wing mirror had come off. The mirror itself is in tact, but the casing has come off and the underneath is exposed.

When I realised I drove back up but I didn’t know which car it was that I’d hit, couldn’t see any debris in the road from my car.

I have no idea what to do now. I couldn’t leave a note as I didn’t know which car it was!

Can anyone advise? I’m really shaken up.

Are you sure it didn't just fall off if you didn't hear an impact and couldn't see damage on anyone else car?

Why don't you ask the police whether you need to report it at all, THEN you can worry about what you actually tell them.

I drove too close to my own bin on my drive and popped the wing mirror casing off quite dramatically, but it definitely wasn’t at any speed at all and really a very low impact incident. So it doesn’t follow that OP must have damaged the other car.

As someone who was screwed over by their insurance company (back in May, and STILL trying to deal with it), I advise you to say NOTHING to the insurance company.

"margotrose · Today 15:28

There was a thread recently about a girl who'd had an accident and failed to report it - the police turned up at her door.

Legally speaking, you need to report accidents to the police if you haven't been able to swap details with the other driver. Personally I would report it to 101 - it only takes a few minutes and at least you'll have a clear conscience"

That would only have applied in the case of a reportable road traffic collision - i.e. one which caused injury to another person or damage to another vehicle or property. That isn't the case for the OP - she stopped, and as far as she can reasonably ascertain there is no damage to another vehicle, so she has no duty to remain or report.

Honestly, there is a lot of scare mongering on this thread with scant understanding of the law, all of which will whip up the OP's anxiety.

Maybe someone clipped you before you got in the car and noticed. I've clipped a couple of wing mirrors in my time and you can't miss the noise.

I wouldn't do anything TBH, especially if you can't be sure you actually did anything.

Yes, this is exactly the likely conversation IF somehow there was damage the Op couldn’t see and IF someone reports it.

This incident or possible incident isn’t something the OP needs to live in fear of the Police or Insurers doming after her about, with her being in big trouble.

She went back and checked for damage and couldn’t see any. Consequently nothing to report. If somehow there is something she missed and it gets reported, when contacted, she will be honest about it and give the details and co-operate with next stages. End of.

This is not an example of Op committing a hit and run, or damaging someone’s car and knowingly driving away or trying to pretend nothing has happened or lying about it. A wing mirror was clipped. OP’s own car was very slightly damaged. She checked the cars which it might have been but could t tell which it was or see damage. If she could, she would have left a note and have something to report. But she couldn’t see anything.

OP’s insurance won’t be invalid and she won’t have the Police after her or the insurers. Most likely she won’t hear anything and if she does, it will go through the usual processes which are there for a reason and for this kind of thing.

I'd report it to the police if it is worrying you. I can't see them taking any action if no one else reports damage to a car. If someone does report that their car is damaged then you have done everything you can to comply with the law. Either way I can't see that you would end up in any trouble, so you can stop worrying about it.

That would only have applied in the case of a reportable road traffic collision - i.e. one which caused injury to another person or damage to another vehicle or property. That isn't the case for the OP - she stopped, and as far as she can reasonably ascertain there is no damage to another vehicle, so she has no duty to remain or report.

The main point being she doesn't know that there was no damage to another car. All she knows is that her own car was damaged.

At the end of the day, it's OP's decision. At least if she reports it, she doesn't need to worry about getting a letter from someone's insurance company in a week or two accusing her of driving off after damaging a car.

‘The casing of my wing mirror has come off, however the mirror is still in tact, but I didn’t notice any marks on the other car……but I wasn’t sure which car it was or whether it had already driven away by this point’.

you didn’t notice any marks on the other car but when you returned you weren’t sure which car it was? Sounds dodgy.

You sound worried so just tell your insurance and see what they say. They may advise to tell the police, they may not. Tell them yourself if you are that worried but maybe decide whether you saw that it had no marks or whether you wasn’t sure on which one it was first.

Legally you must report to police if you haven’t been able to provide insurance details to the other owner.

Also, as you weren’t aware of doing it until later on you can’t possibly be certain that you only clipped their wing mirror- just because its only your mirror damaged doesn’t mean only theirs is. You going back to check later and not seeing any obvious damage is also not important because the car could have left before then.

If there was dash cam or a witness who got you, and you haven’t reported, you can also be charged with leaving the scene of an accident- as the driver who hit my stationary car and drove off was :)

Yes I would think say something, not sure who to the insurers I guess? As a friend of mine didn’t realise she’d scraped a car, was caught on CCTV and although all fine in the end it was stressful being ‘caught out’ rather than fess up at the time.

Well you statement doesnt make sense as you say you don’t know which car it was but also there was no damage in other car. I’ve had my wing mirror knocked on my street where casing came off but mirror intact. No one stopped and was around £300 to fix as they had to replace all of it due to the part which came off. Luckily it was a work car and they covered the cost. I did an online report just incase they needed a crime number. Genuinely don’t even think they read them!

@autumn1610 said:
Well you statement doesnt make sense as you say you don’t know which car it was but also there was no damage in other car.

If none of the cars OP looked at was damaged, and no cars had driven off between the incidents and her checking them, then logic suggests that no car had been damaged, and so there was no damage to the other car.

So OP could know there was no damage to the other car, without having to know which car it was

But what if someone damaged her car while it was parked and she didn't notice for a while? What if she didn't hit anyone at all, but someone else hit her? Having clipped a mirror before whilst going about 10 miles an hour, that is still V noisy, hard not to notice!

Oh I'd be leaving that and if it gets back somehow act all grateful that finally the mystery of your wing mirror is resolved.

If you do report it, it's actually 'intact' one word.

Good luck! Hopefully nothing will come of it.

If you can’t see damage on any one else’s car, just sort your own damage. You did the right thing by going back to check.

Come on now, read the OP. They have said they “didn’t realise what had happened until later on”, however knew which road to go back and check, and knew enough to say that the car they hit was stationary. OP quite obviously knows they hit a car, that’s not up for discussion, she noticed at the time as she knew the car was stationary and where the car was to go back and look.

But that’s a nice story to try and tell, in fact the driver who hit mine tried to tell a very similar one. He supposedly wasn’t entirely sure he’d even hit anything, couldn’t be sure he had- and after he spun that lovely little tale to police and insurance he was presented with dash cam footage which showed him very clearly hitting and damaging my car and driving off. Which was enough to have him not only held responsible for the damages, but also left him with invalidated insurance AND charged with leaving the scene of an accident as well.

OP you know you have hit someone’s car just not who’s, let police and your insurance know- today, within 24 hours. Then if nothing ever comes of it that’s fine, you’ve covered your back.

Maybe your car bore the brunt of it, and that's why you couldn't see any debris? When I'd just passed my test I scraped a neighbour's van (parking was extremely tight in our road!). I was mortified. Both the paintwork on my car and his van looked badly scuffed, but he came out with a cloth, wiped the paint of my car off his and his didn't have a mark on it! My car on the other hand...

I clipped a wing mirror about 18 months ago. Totally destroyed mine but the car it hit had no damage at all so it is entirely possible, as you say, that no one will be able to tell.

I am like you though so i would be telling my insurer, self reporting one 101 online and maybe post in a community Facebook group.

At that point you can forget about it - you have made very reasonable attempts to confess!

Fgs don't bother 101. You clipped a mirror , broke your own mirror but couldn't even see damage to another car so drove away.

If you admit liability without having seen the damage or taken photos of it, you'll get some chancer sending you photos of his huge dent in his door and you'll have to stump up as you have admitted you crashed into him you and where's the evidence that you only clipped his mirror?

OP IVE DONE THIS.

dont tell insurer! This will backfire.

Do write an online police report saying you cannot be certain but may have.

I was told to do this by 101 who laughed at me when I explained I don’t know if I hit a car or which one. She said I was mad and to just log online to prevent the hit and run thing.

It’s been well over a year and nothing.

Absolutely do not report it to your insurance company. If you’ve gone back and seen no damage then i doubt anyone else will notice even if there’s a tiny scratch.
Even if you were to report it and nothing comes over your insurance premiums will change because youve reported an incident that you were at fault for.

Seriously, do nothing. If you didn’t even notice until you drove off then it’s likely you just clipped a mirror shut.