need advice re a letter from police

[superbagpuss]

dh has received a letter from the police today

failure to stop at an accident
failure to report an accident
dangerous driving

he can remember knocking wing mirrors at a very busy junction but thought the other car was not interested in stopping as so minor

what happens now?
does he tell his insurance company?

He needs to respond to the police letter first.

so do that and wait before doing anything else

we are both worried

hmmmm....no doubt the knocking of wing mirrors has caused terrible whiplash and there is a claim waiting in the wings. As I understand it you don't have to report an accident unless there is an injury, I am not sure that clipping a wing mirror constitutes an accident and if that is what it is about then I would be denying all knowledge, ie, it was so minor he didn't even notice. He should respond to the letter without referring to the wing mirror incident as it may be nothing to do with that.

What does the letter call him to do?

just nominate who was driving at the time

it was definitely him so that's easy

we just want to know what to expect next

I would supply the information they require only.

Hopefully someone will come along who knows next steps, and what to do re:the insurance.

I wouldn't offer what I'm not asked.

Knocking a wing mirror cant be classed as dangerous driving, surely?
I'd be denying I was in the accident, seeing as he doesnt recall one.

Is there any other detail in the letter? Date and time? Registration mark of vehicle? Colour and make of car?

The golden rule in any legal situation is to NEVER offer supplementary information.

You ask what this is regarding.

You offer the name of the driver if required to by law.

Don't go to the Police station without representation.

Record everything. Ask for everything in writing.

Discuss nothing- don't guess aloud (what a lot of people do out of nerves).

If somebody is trying to scam you for a fake claim then make THEM do all the work. They have to prove it under the law, not you.

letter has all the details of the car, I guess they traced through the reg plate

OK, so just send back form and wait

I am presuming they are specifying a time, rather than ' at the time of the accident'.

If not, clarification is needed.

ie 'what accident?'

Don't deny all knowledge and pretend he didn't notice, that is effectively admitting to driving without due care and attention.

No other advice, sorry.

See what you mean really.

But I would think it's important to let them take the lead in what it is exactly that they want to know.

As I understand it you don't have to report an accident unless there is an injury

You also have to report an accident if there is damage to property. And of course clipping a wing mirror constitutes an accident and is reportable if there is damage.

I think I was thinking of not needing police to attend actually, my brain is a bit fogged up due to pain meds :( People clip wing mirrors all the time, I wouldn't even think to stop, we have lots of narrow country roads so maybe I trivialise it because it is a common occurrence.

You don't need to tell the police unless there was an injury, however you do need to exchange details with the driver. I'd be pretty miffed if someone knocked off my wing mirror and drove off leaving me to pay for its replacement...

Do they give details of the accident? Do you agree with them? Either way, I'd speak to your insurers first - you should have legal cover as part of your insurance.

Someone knocking a wing mirror on a parked car and knocking it off and 2 drivers clipping mirrors are totally different; modern cars have mirrors meant to flip back on slight impact so would only knock off if hit at speed. OP describes as minor so I would not expect broken mirrors.

I'm surprised pp are being so casual about 'clipping' wing mirrors. If said mirrors are electric, they can cost £300 plus to replace. I'd be v annoyed if someone thought it OK just to drive off.

I'm not being casual about clipping wing mirrors. If there's a damage to property or injury, the driver has a duty to stop and exchange details, with or without police involvement depending on severity. I queried the relevance of an allegation of dangerous driving where the driver thought the incident minor enough not to cause damage or stop, and at slow speed as OP mentioned a junction?

I too live on narrow country roads though, so maybe my view is skewed.

If you are sure is genuine, OP, I'd suggest responding with the minimum info required by the form, and waiting. In the meantime, you should inform your insurers...it'll be no good later on as they'll say you failed to keep them informed when you received the letter...