Unpleasant altercation - who was the most unreasonable?

[zerofeeling]

Took my dogs out today and was trying to park in a small space between two cars on a country lane. As I was inching back to fit into the space I heard a loud crunch 😖

The two men from the car behind had just set off on their walk, as I got out of my car one of them was heading back towards me shouting why did I try to park in such a small space. I said sorry and inspected the front of his car - couldn't see any damage at all, and apart from a tiny paint scuff nothing on my car. I said to him 'i can't see any damage, it doesn't look like I hit you'
Man just glanced over at his car then asked me for my details, I asked is that necessary and said again there's no damage. He said that's not the point you have to give your details if you've been in a collision. He was much taller than me and sort of fronting up to me repeating that he wanted my details and me refusing, saying I don't think it was a collision, I think I might have hit something underneath my car. (For info my Mum and a friend have both been scammed on their insurance by people who claimed all kinds of things after very minor prangs)

Then he took an ID wallet out of his pocket and flipped it open to show a photo and badge and said he's Police. I couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. He held his phone up and said he's filming me refusing to comply with the law.
By this time the other man had come back and also filming me and I started to worry - I'm in a secluded area, with two men who are much bigger than me. I told them I felt intimidated and are they trying to scam me?

I got in my car and tried to shut the door but 1st man held onto it to prevent me. I asked if he's trying to detain me and he said no but I will if you don't give me your details, I've identified myself to you as a police officer. I said you've got no right to detain me. Eventually he let go of the door and I had to turn the car round as the lane is a dead end. Once I turned round he said again that I'm breaking the law by refusing to give my details after a collision and he started to recite the Caution they give when you're arrested! I drove away very shaken up, no idea what consequences to expect.

........... Having showed Police ID and having read her her rights. In court it's called resisting arrest.

Gosh I do hope that the far too many women on this thread who think we should all kowtow to abusive bullies who claim to be police officers don't find out the hard way just how bad an idea that can be.

@zerofeeling

There was a crunch, and although no visible damage from a quick check there could be damage to the car.

It may be dangerous to drive it

Have you taken it to a garage to check?

Good

Yeah you're right, but it's still the law to exchange details. If you don't and you leave the scene as OP did, then it's considered a hit and run. OP's insurance wouldn't cover her in that case so much more sensible thing to do is exchange details.

Yeah he could have. But then you're reporting a hit and run which is more drawn out for everyone involved. And the driver at fault I'm sure would like to avoid being charged with a hit and run. Her insurer wouldn't cover that either.

But he was a police officer wasn’t he ? Identified himself as such and was reading OP her rights as she drove away. She’s now received formal documentation which from her recent posting it looks like she’s going to ignore. There comes a point where you have to admit you were wrong. She broke the law. What I don’t understand is that she was prepared to spend time arguing the toss but when it came to actually giving her details she was suddenly scared and intimidated. Yeah right.

You really do talk bollocks I hope no one's taking you seriously 🤦

You broke the law, you have to give your details. Of course you are in the wrong, if you just did the right thing it wouldn't have happened. Being a woman isn't an excuse for hitting a mans car and running.

Modern bumpers are designed to not crumple and show damage but can do serious structural damage that means the next impact would be unsafe. You do not get to decide that theres no damage.

I clipped a curb, mounted it and hit a very small tree (barely looked bigger than a sapling, I stood taller than it and it was only about as thick as my arm) and my bumper just slightly popped off and could be pushed back on by hand. I tried to drive away and the car would move just grinded loudly. I had structural hell as the wheels/axles had bent though even though the car 'looked' fine ended up having to sell it after spending a fortune trying to fix it (to no avail).

I'd have done the same as you OP. Criminal offence or not, there'd be no way I'd be hanging about with two irate men in a secluded area.

Why ? That’s the law. By your own admission you drove away while he was attempting to read you your rights. And now you know he was a police officer. Are you still going to ignore the documents that have been delivered ?

OP reading this thread is giving me a headache, god knows how you must be feeling!!

He failed to comply with his Force's protocol for off-duty male police officers dealing with a lone woman. He didn't have grounds to arrest me and didn't say he was arresting me, just started reciting the Police Caution out of nowhere, because he's a prick. No idea why you think I didn't fill in the paperwork, I did that at the Police Station when I reported the man's subsequent unlawful behaviour.

What's the law?

Well for a start the RTA clearly states that if either party suspects a collision they have the right to ask for insurance details. Failure to give them at the scene is a criminal offence. You suspected a collision or you wouldn’t have stopped the car and got out to investigate. You said the two blokes heard the same thing. No damage is not proof of no collision. The law is clear but you don’t seem to want to address this.

"Gosh I do hope that the far too many women on this thread who think we should all kowtow to abusive bullies"

Certainly one way of looking at it.

Another is to behave like a decent human being and trade insurance details when you hit someone's else ( parked and stationary ) property. Whether you have a penis or vagina doesn't come into it

I’m sorry for OP getting such abuse. I would have done the same as her. There was no accident. There was a noise. That does not prove a collision.

Duty to Provide Information:
If required by someone with reasonable grounds, the driver must provide their name, address, the vehicle's owner's name and address, and the vehicle's identification marks.

You heard a crunch. So did they. Read the RTA section 170. There doesn’t have to be any visible damage. The suspicion that a collision has occurred is enough - and that sound was reasonable grounds. If the other party asks for your details you have to provide them. You didn’t. And you’ve spent the thread trying to make the case that you didn’t have to. But you know you did.

This.

The 'systems in place' are an inspection by a qualified mechanic. At which point he may find that some of the internal clips on the bumper are broken, possibly to the point where it'll come off on its own in due course - maybe when you're doing 70mph on the motorway and there's a motorbike next to you. Often they can tell if it's just happened - e.g. a freshly snapped piece of plastic/fresh scrape wont yet have dirt on it.

Read the thread. There have been loads of examples given, including one where the poster didn't believe there was any damage but then saw the other person's bumper literally come off a few minutes down the road!

You're just encouraging people to make their own uninformed judgements and drive away.

@zerofeeling

You've been asked multiple times whether you've taken the car to be checked at a garage. You've not responded at all to this so I can only conclude that you haven't.

Why are you being so negligent with your own safety and that of others?

I can't believe that on this forum, which is going to be mostly women, you are getting all this grief. 2 men made you feel intimidated and unsafe and yet people are making out that you are in the wrong??? How supportive

If there was a crunch , you hit his car.
You need to let your insurance know and expect to hear from his / or the police. I’d report you if you drove off. He will have your number plate.

She said it was a ‘loud crunch ‘ what else would it have been?

I drove over a full can of Coke or something last week, that made a very loud crunching noise.