Scraped Parked Car with Wing Mirror

[lollywhale]

I accidentally nicked a parked car a few days ago. Wasn't a big nock, but I definitely felt it and I caught their door handle with my wing mirror. I didn't have any pen and paper, but it was also absolutely wild weather, pouring rain and windy so I'm not sure a paper note would have been much use. I waited for around ten minutes for the owner, but they didn't show up. We were parked near a gym and a cinema, so they could have been hours... So I phoned the police and reported the accident, left my details so owner can contact me, and drove off. But I'm still wondering if I should have waited? As now car owner has to go to the bother of phoning police etc to get my details.

YABU - you should have waited longer for the person to show up
YANBU - phoning the police to report the accident was sufficient

DH is saying I'm just being anxious as I've left my details with the police. Should I go back and leave my details with the bowling alley/restaurants/cinema ? It was the middle of the car park, so not sure which of the businesses the owner would have been with.

sounds like you did everything you could

I wouldn't have left without leaving my details as best I could.

I'd have got pen & paper, some kind of plastic / bag / cover from one of the premises nearby & done my utmost to leave legible details.

10 minutes is too short.

But you've reported to the police, and there's nothing more you can do now.

Shit happens, you've done enough

😳

I don't know if reporting to the police in this way is standard in the UK? It's not in Ireland. So it wouldn't be usual for someone to contact the Gardaí to check.

She waited 10 min, it's not great or 'enough'.

I'd have also left a note on the windscreen despite the weather

You're supposed to report to the police within 24 in the UK, so I left details of my car and their car with an officer and logged an incident number.

@lollywhale

Thanks - in that case, if it's a known procedure, assume the driver will check so it will be ok. I'd still have waited longer than 10 min & made more effort with a note.

I once tipped a car on a very narrow residential road. The car was old & not in great shape but I definitely caused damage (scraped it). I had 3 small DC in the back but I went door to door till I found someone who could take my details for the person - in my case, it was really windy & I also suspected it was an elderly person (it was). I was stressed about it, it was late & hard on my own with the kids, it all took an hour or so.

I wouldn’t expect to contact the police to check, but if someone damaged my car and drove off without leaving details then I’d be calling the police at that point to report it- at the very least to get a crime reference for my insurer. At that point you would think 2 and 2 would be put together.

Yeah, whilst reporting it I requested that the police pass on my details to the other driver, but the officer said they'd only do so if the driver contacts them first.

lollywhale · Today 11:32

Yeah, whilst reporting it I requested that the police pass on my details to the other driver, but the officer said they'd only do so if the driver contacts them first.

Well, rest easy, you've done what you were supposed to do. I might have waited a bit longer, but what if they took hours to come back? I suspect that most people would have driven off and done nothing.

Our car has little scrapes with at least four different colours of paint and nobody has ever left a note.

Sounds like you did the right thing then

If the damage was significant enough for me to warrant calling the police then I'd find the other person's details when I called. If it was a little scratch or whatever that was going to go unrepaired, I'd be annoyed but chalk it up to shit happens/wear and tear of a functional item.

This is also why I'd never own a really nice car though