[emilyystar]

Hi guys

Today I did something awful and cant get over my guilt! I was parked at this new stables between an astra and a fiesta (I couldn't see another space and it was a bit tight admittedly despite me driving a panda!)
As I reversed out the left front corner of my car caught the rear right wheel arch of the astra. I got out of the car, and rubbed off some of the paint in a blind panic after I noticed white paint on the blue astra (no damage to the fiesta). I then drove off because I thought there was no damaage apart from just swapping paint and it wasnt until i got home that I noticed there were a few small (about 5cm in length) scratches on the corner of my car
i was literally in a blind panic and didnt think about leaving a note cos I thought it was only cosmetic damage- didnt look at the astra. Im worried though that they have CCTV of me not leaving a note, but surely if there's only little scratches on my car there wont be massive damage to the other car?
In all my driving experience this is the first time something like this has happened and I just panicked!
Anyone else had any experience of this? I may phone the stables tomorrow and ask them if the cars there, if they know whose it is incase I did do any damage!

[Sean94]

Ouch! If your really worried about it, give the stables a ring and ask if they know who owns the Astra. If it was a nice shiny Astra this may help or at least it may get it off your chest. If it was a tatty filthy Astra they may not notice if that is any consolation. Are the scratches on your car bad?

[emilyystar]

(Original post by Sean94)
Ouch! If your really worried about it, give the stables a ring and ask if they know who owns the Astra. If it was a nice shiny Astra this may help or at least it may get it off your chest. If it was a tatty filthy Astra they may not notice if that is any consolation. Are the scratches on your car bad?

It was 52 reg plate so not a brand new one! No, once I rubbed off the paint you cant notice them unless you go right up close! Only about 5 of them! Im just worried that Ill get a knock on the door from the police

[Sean94]

In all honesty, and I'm very meticulous about my car, if I noticed them I'd think an crap and try polishing them out. If they came out when you rubbed them they won't be deep. The most important thing is if you can live with yourself. If it bugs you, net time you go to the stables, just mention that you 'thought you might have come close' to someone's Astra and you are wondering who owns it to confirm or deny the fact. Don't openly admit it at first as the owner may be angry with you for not stopping straight away.

[emilyystar]

(Original post by Sean94)
In all honesty, and I'm very meticulous about my car, if I noticed them I'd think an crap and try polishing them out. If they came out when you rubbed them they won't be deep. The most important thing is if you can live with yourself. If it bugs you, net time you go to the stables, just mention that you 'thought you might have come close' to someone's Astra and you are wondering who owns it to confirm or deny the fact. Don't openly admit it at first as the owner may be angry with you for not stopping straight away.

Im the same about mine! Paint came off very easily, just a few scratches on the paint work which need covering up. I will next time I go, I just cant believe it happened! Just out of curiosity would this thing have to go through insurance?

[lbsf1]

(Original post by emilyystar)
Im the same about mine! Paint came off very easily, just a few scratches on the paint work which need covering up. I will next time I go, I just cant believe it happened! Just out of curiosity would this thing have to go through insurance?

If the other person has a tantrum when you tell them then possibly. If they take it reasonably then no, if its small then it will be under your excess so isn't worth it.

[Nutty_Psychologist]

They probably wouldn't notice until a few days later or even if they noticed them when they came out, I know if it was me I wouldn't necessarily think it'd just happen. Just think, if that had been you would you have demanded to see CCTV or whatever and called the police. Coz I don't think I would. I know it's nerve wracking, it's happened to me. But I'm sure you'll be fine.

[Sean94]

It doesnt have to if the owner does want their car repairing, you could offer to sort the damage, which if they are really light you may be able to polish out or if they need painting you could get a quote from a local smart repairer. If the owner wishes to be a miserable git and make you suffer they can techinacally claim an insurance job. I doubt anyone woul bother or indeed if an insurance company would pay on a 10 year old car. Besides, I thought you horsey people were nice?

[emilyystar]

(Original post by Nutty_Psychologist)
They probably wouldn't notice until a few days later or even if they noticed them when they came out, I know if it was me I wouldn't necessarily think it'd just happen. Just think, if that had been you would you have demanded to see CCTV or whatever and called the police. Coz I don't think I would. I know it's nerve wracking, it's happened to me. But I'm sure you'll be fine.

No im just feeling very guilty! Also it was on private land so I think the police cant do anything. If it was me, I would of been like ones of those things cos Im hoping I didnt leave a massive dent, thats just me guessing cos there's only scratches on my car!

[emilyystar]

(Original post by Sean94)
It doesnt have to if the owner does want their car repairing, you could offer to sort the damage, which if they are really light you may be able to polish out or if they need painting you could get a quote from a local smart repairer. If the owner wishes to be a miserable git and make you suffer they can techinacally claim an insurance job. I doubt anyone woul bother or indeed if an insurance company would pay on a 10 year old car. Besides, I thought you horsey people were nice?

Haha thats what Im hoping !
As Ive said Im hoping its just scratches on their car cos its only scratches on mine and I didnt see a massive dent so Im presuming its just scratches and paint on theirs! If I do hear any more about it, ill offer to pay for a paint job unless they want to go through insurance!

[DazA]

You are breaking the law. You have "made off" after a RTI, regardless of the level of damage.

Think about it this way, if they do have CCTV, or there's a witness, you may be reported for failing to stop and/or report an accident. No only will you be liable for the damage, you may also be arrested, have points on your licence and a fine, perhaps even a ban.

Also think about the owner of the other car. How pissed off would you be if you are in their position.

To ignore it and hope you don't get caught is a terrible thing and I hope they throw the book at you if you are caught, and I hope they do catch you!

[Sean94]

If you do need to repair the Astra search for a smart or small to medium area repair technology specialist in your area. Most are mobile and for this kind of damage are much cheaper than a bodyshop because they will literally just repair the damage instead of painting the whole bumper. Panda and Astra bumpers are both made of ABS plastic and they crack instead of dent, so they theory goes that if yours ain't cracked then theirs ain't cracked. If i was closer to you I'd offer my services as I am actually trained in bodywork and it's what I do for a living, and how I pay for my education so 1 day I won't have to!

[Scott1541]

(Original post by DazA)
You are breaking the law. You have "made off" after a RTI, regardless of the level of damage.

Think about it this way, if they do have CCTV, or there's a witness, you may be reported for failing to stop and/or report an accident. No only will you be liable for the damage, you may also be arrested, have points on your licence and a fine, perhaps even a ban.

Also think about the owner of the other car. How pissed off would you be if you are in their position.

To ignore it and hope you don't get caught is a terrible thing and I hope they throw the book at you if you are caught, and I hope they do catch you!

You make it sound like OP has committed a serious crime, failing to stop at the scene of a scratch

[DazA]

Level of damage is irrelevant.


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[sarahthegemini]

(Original post by DazA)
You are breaking the law. You have "made off" after a RTI, regardless of the level of damage.

Think about it this way, if they do have CCTV, or there's a witness, you may be reported for failing to stop and/or report an accident. No only will you be liable for the damage, you may also be arrested, have points on your licence and a fine, perhaps even a ban.

Also think about the owner of the other car. How pissed off would you be if you are in their position.

To ignore it and hope you don't get caught is a terrible thing and I hope they throw the book at you if you are caught, and I hope they do catch you!

[DazA]

(Original post by sarahthegemini)

What? Read it and weep.

"To fail to stop at the scene of an accident is an offence underSection 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.There is a further obligation (even if you do stop and provide your details) to report any accident that results in injury or damage to a Police Station as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within a maximum of 24 hours.Failing to report an accident is again another offence under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Sentence for Failing to Report | Failing to Stop

The potential sentence in relation to these offences is onerous. That is because when they were originally bought in to effect it was anticipated that these offences would deal with incidents of hit and run. For example hitting someone on a zebra crossing and then driving away.Most of the cases we deal with involve bumps and scrapes in supermarket car parks when our clients tell us that they were not even aware that an accident had taken place. Therefore, whilst the sentences are potentially onerous in the vast majority of cases, the offences will be dealt with simply by points and fines.The penalty point range for these offences is 5 to10. If both of these offences occur in relation to the same incident then the offences are treated as occurring on the same occasion. That means that if you get a Summons for both offences you are only at risk of points for one of the offences rather than both.Having said that, 5 to 10 points on your licence is onerous and if you have been accused of this offence then you should send an email asking for further advice.The fines involved can be anywhere up to £5,000 and the level imposed will be affected by the seriousness of the offence and your personal circumstances.In the worse case scenario, as outlined above, these offences can be dealt with by way of a prison sentence of up to 6 months. Again that would only be the case if somebody was badly injured and the Defendant drove away after being aware that an accident had taken place."

[emilyystar]

(Original post by Sean94)
If you do need to repair the Astra search for a smart or small to medium area repair technology specialist in your area. Most are mobile and for this kind of damage are much cheaper than a bodyshop because they will literally just repair the damage instead of painting the whole bumper. Panda and Astra bumpers are both made of ABS plastic and they crack instead of dent, so they theory goes that if yours ain't cracked then theirs ain't cracked. If i was closer to you I'd offer my services as I am actually trained in bodywork and it's what I do for a living, and how I pay for my education so 1 day I won't have to!

Aha bless you! Nah mines very small scratches so thats my theory and im sticking to it. Thanks for your comment to the other poster btw

[emilyystar]

(Original post by DazA)
What? Read it and weep.

"To fail to stop at the scene of an accident is an offence underSection 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.There is a further obligation (even if you do stop and provide your details) to report any accident that results in injury or damage to a Police Station as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within a maximum of 24 hours.Failing to report an accident is again another offence under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Sentence for Failing to Report | Failing to Stop

The potential sentence in relation to these offences is onerous. That is because when they were originally bought in to effect it was anticipated that these offences would deal with incidents of hit and run. For example hitting someone on a zebra crossing and then driving away.Most of the cases we deal with involve bumps and scrapes in supermarket car parks when our clients tell us that they were not even aware that an accident had taken place. Therefore, whilst the sentences are potentially onerous in the vast majority of cases, the offences will be dealt with simply by points and fines.The penalty point range for these offences is 5 to10. If both of these offences occur in relation to the same incident then the offences are treated as occurring on the same occasion. That means that if you get a Summons for both offences you are only at risk of points for one of the offences rather than both.Having said that, 5 to 10 points on your licence is onerous and if you have been accused of this offence then you should send an email asking for further advice.The fines involved can be anywhere up to £5,000 and the level imposed will be affected by the seriousness of the offence and your personal circumstances.In the worse case scenario, as outlined above, these offences can be dealt with by way of a prison sentence of up to 6 months. Again that would only be the case if somebody was badly injured and the Defendant drove away after being aware that an accident had taken place."

Okay fair enough but I highly doubt I actually caused any damage apart from repainting their car a tad, and possibly scratched it.
I highly doubt the police would waste their time on this matter because a the damage is basically nothing b it was on private land and c it would be a bit hypocritical of them to "throw the book at me" as you so bloody hope and no go out and do the same to everyone whose dinged their car door into the next door one in every car park across the land etc.
get off your bleeding soap box!

[DazA]

(Original post by emilyystar)
Okay fair enough but I highly doubt I actually caused any damage apart from repainting their car a tad, and possibly scratched it.
I highly doubt the police would waste their time on this matter because a the damage is basically nothing b it was on private land and c it would be a bit hypocritical of them to "throw the book at me" as you so bloody hope and no go out and do the same to everyone whose dinged their car door into the next door one in every car park across the land etc.
get off your bleeding soap box!

Don't break the law and I will.

[xxAuraliaxx]

I have a very noticebale dent in my relatively new car where someone must have slammed their car door into the side of mine - i'm pretty pissed off, it happend months ago but it is still so unbelieveable anoying - having said that,

It's still NOT such a big deal that i'd try to track down the person, and if they'd had have left their contact details I wouldnt have used it - because my car still runs, and it didn't break so wont get rust in, and fixing anything is alot of effort, let alone something cosmetic.

If your feeling guilty, you know you've done something you yourself deem morally wrong, just be more carefully and hopefully you wont be in this situation again. Just try to distract yourself until you stop stressing