Hit a parked car...any help appreciated

[psmk2]

Last week 16th may i scuffed a stupidly parked car and never reported it....i only had a slight scuff on my front bumper so it was definately minimal and when i went back later the car wasn't there

Today i got a voicemail from an insurance company saying they had a report from a third party that my car was involved in an accident...i called the number back and spoke briefly to a guy who confirmed that they were my insurance company i said to him i wasnt aware of hitting anyone and wanted more information about the accident before i gave any statements....he said he would say i had no invlovement but to call them tomorrow at 9 to speak to the correct dept.....what happens now if it turns out it was that parked car they are talking about?....will i be charged with failing to report...i havent had any police call round or if i admit my guilt will it simply be dealt with but the insurance company......any help appreciated

[Graham]

assuming no one was injured the police wont be interested and certainly wont charge you with failing to report

[psmk2]

Cheers graham Im shitting it now...im going to phone them tomorrow and claim if i did hit it then i wasnt aware ect....just hope they don't void my insurance or get police involved..i drive an hour and a half to work every morning and have kids so don't want to lose my licence or get points

[chrisis]

not aware of the british law, but if you're honest about it you should be fine.

[Wigan RSte]

Honesty always the best policy, if you had owned up straight away you would not now be shitting it. Regardless of if badly parked if you hit a car surely you should own up. The number of times this has happened to me over 35 years of driving is just not on .Just as bad as keying a car in my opinion.

[stevieturbo]

assuming no one was injured the police wont be interested and certainly wont charge you with failing to report

Hit and run certainly is an offence though, failing to stay at the scene etc etc.

So it might be wiser to play the fool and didnt realise you touched another car, than to say you knowingly drove off and said nothing.

[Graham]

i agree about hit and run, but a parking scrape isnt really in the same league as causing serious damage or hitting a pedestrian, its a parking scrape people do it all the time, knock another car and dont know they have.

[psmk2]

It seems strange that my insurance company called though and not the police

[wildo105e]

I would imagine they must have some proof or suspicion that you were involved. Having been through an incident a few years ago, insurance companies can check Registration databases so it is highly probable they have reported this to their own insurance and they have traced you that way.

It is most likely suspicion and doubtful there is any concrete proof, so it really is down to your conscience whether you call their bluff or own up, but if it was your car that had been hit maybe you would have different perspective.

[Warrior]

I would just say you wasn’t aware of the incident that’s why it wasn’t reported, and you will require proof that it happened and that you was driving,

Police ain’t interested in stuff like this. My dogs knocked my hand. Take off my transit van a few years ago and it hit a parked car, the lady wasn’t very nice about things and called the police, she wanted them to come out and when he found out it was 2 parked cars crashed into by 2 dogs in a van and no one was hurt, they did not want to know.

When my insurance asked why it took me a week to report it, I just said thought it wasn’t nesserys as neither dog was insured to drive the van, to which the girl on the phone burst of laughing.

[stevieturbo]

i agree about hit and run, but a parking scrape isnt really in the same league as causing serious damage or hitting a pedestrian, its a parking scrape people do it all the time, knock another car and dont know they have.

Yes and no.

If the person knowingly hit the car and drove off, the intent is the same. So if they've done it there...have they done it before, will they do it again ? IMO it is a police matter.

I was parked in a small village a few years ago while a friend ran over to a cash machine. There was an elderly lady in the car in front trying to get out of the space she was parked in ( parallel to the road ). She kept ramming the car in front trying to get out. Now this was still very gentle, but she was utterly oblivious to the fact she was hitting the other car, and when we tapped her window to tell her this, she was not happy and shouted at us, telling us she was hitting the kerb. And she just kept on hitting the other car until she got out of her space and drove off.

Now there was no real damage done...but clearly that too should be a police matter and that person's license removed if they are so incompetent they cannot realise they are hitting another car multiple times !!

The pair of us were in utter disbelief, and if only video cameras were so common back then otherwise I'd have filmed it.

The problem is the police ignore far too many instances of blind incompetence on the road, they may be minor....but they also ignore serious matters too.

But they love their speed cameras.

[katana]

I would just say you wasn’t aware of the incident that’s why it wasn’t reported, and you will require proof that it happened and that you was driving,

When my insurance asked why it took me a week to report it, I just said thought it wasn’t necessary as neither dog was insured to drive the van, to which the girl on the phone burst of laughing.

Playing devils advocate - the OP clearly was aware of the incident at the time and chose to ignore it. There could have been an independent witness who clocked it and left a note on matey windscreen? You could plead ignorance but please don't say you want proof of you driving - opens whole other can of worms if you haven't got any driver cover!

Love the dog / insurance excuse - expert!