Car Accident

[Metaphor]

This afternoon, a friend of mine was involved in a minor collision where his car was hit in a narrow lane by another vehicle that initially left the scene. My friend was able to pursue and locate the vehicle. The other driver shared his contact details, permitted my friend to photograph him and the vehicle's registration, and handed over his driver's license number. However, the license, which appears to be a paper version from the 1970s, raises doubts about its legitimacy. The driver claimed his insurance was with a vaguely named company. My friend's car has some scratches, and the driver has agreed to provide a quote for the repairs by tomorrow, warning that insurance claims could increase both of their premiums. We are both novices in this area and are seeking advice on how to handle the situation. Thank you.

Go through your insurance.
It's what you pay them for. You'll be expected to report any accident/damage to them, whether you claim or not.
If the other driver is not insured (no licence = no insurance) your insurers will be able to sort it anyway.

My friend's car has some scratches, and the driver has agreed to provide a quote for the repairs by tomorrow, warning that insurance claims could increase both of their premiums.

I'm not quite sure what that means, normally it would be up to the driver of the damaged car to get the quote and let the person at fault know.

You may get differing advice on here, as some people are sticklers for the rules, but to me claiming on the insurance really depends on a few factors:

how much damage has been done?
what sort of policy your friend has?
what their excess is?
How did the collision occur? Was he parked or moving?
Can it be proved who was at fault? Witnesses etc?

you may find if it is just scratches that the repair is less than your excess in which case there is no point going through the insurance, or if there is damage to the panels/bodywork then obviously it would be more expensive and you need to know what sort of cost you're dealing with quickly because if you are going insurance route you normally need to inform them within 24 hours of it happening.

There is a reason the guy left the scene though, he may not have a valid licence (although the paper copies are still used by some people, and could be completely legit), he may not be fit to drive or he may not be insured, either way he was hoping to get away with it so don't hold out much hope he is going to pay for any repairs, he could agree to it then refuse to pay up and disappear.

Ultimately it's a judgement call with the insurance, but unless you have protected no claims and it can be proven that the other driver was 100% at fault then be prepared to have you pants pulled down.

The other driver can’t get a quote for your friend. Unless he has taken your friend’s car?

If you’re they’re not going through insurance then your friend has to take their car in to a garage and get it checked over and get a quote, then tell the guy how much it’ll be snd get the money from him. But he sounds super dodgy. Your friend should really call the insurance company, explain what happened and give the other guy’s license plate.

Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions. This morning, the driver reached out to my friend for a quote and asked his home address. My friend was puzzled 😳as to why the driver requested the address, and he suspects the driver seems to be doggy y’sday. Should we provide the address to him, and if so, what precautions should we take to ensure our home address remains secure? Please let me know your thought. Many Thanks🙏

He doesn’t need your address. Decide if you want to go through insurance or not.

If you’re going through insurance then call now and give them the other guy’s license plate number.

If you’re not, then get the car into a garage today for a quote and then send the quote to the guy along with your bank details and ask him to pay it by the end of the day you send it. If he doesn’t, call your insurance. You need to do this quickly before insurance wonders why you waited so get the quote today.

You are meant to tell your insurer about every accident, even if you don’t claim, and if they find out then they can cancel your policy. This is what you pay them for so I don’t know why you won’t just call the insurance and claim.

The other driver sounds dodgy.
This should all go through insurance IMO.

Nope they do not need your address, do not provide it. Tell them you have decided it’s better to go through insurance and do so. Then stop engaging with them, and block their number.

The other driver has committed an offence by leaving the scene of an accident; your friend had to pursue him and there are several other glaring red flags here (dodgy licence, driver being cagey, asking for personal details, etc). Your friend should go through their insurers. DO NOT engage further personally with this person. You don't know who he is, what he does, or who his mates are.

I would very, VERY strongly advise that your friend tells their insurance company as soon as possible, before this gets out of hand.

He should go through insurance. Someone reversed into my parked car last summer (luckily I witnessed it) and I agreed to let him pay for the repairs, although I did inform my insurers. Come winter, my car developed a leak. Turns out water was getting in through the rear lights, which is the area he hit. It cost me over £600 to repair (twice the price of the repair to the paintwork) and I didn't have use of my car for over 2 weeks while it was at the garage, not to mention all the lost time spent wiping down windows and demisting before I could set off. And it's STILL not fixed, it's started leaking again so I have to faff about taking it back to the garage. Very expensive lesson learned.

I would always go through the insurance company. Like others have said you pay them to sort everything out and deal with the third party. The other driver will promise all sorts of things but may well end up questioning costs or refusing to pay. Insurance all the way. You shouldn't need to talk to the third party after exchanging details.

Edit. Just remembered they drove off initially so even more reason not to trust them to do the right thing.

I only have a paper driving licence, it is perfectly valid until the age of 70.
There is no requirement for me to apply for a photocard licence unless I change my name or my address.