The person who I bumped into didnt want to get police involved, so I didnt call either. I wont go into detail about how I repaired the bumper. About a year ago someone rear ended my car. My car didnt have any damge at all. Their car had slight scratch on it. I didnt call the cops. Plus, insurance companies are just looking for reasons to raise. But we live in a huge condo, so even though they know we called, they really can't do anything to us. Maybe you can call the cops and say that (i) you're neighbors are driving you up a wall with their noise, (ii) there are people constantly coming and going, and (iii) you are pretty sure they are dealing. The cops will probably respond to that.
It’s common sense to call the police if you’re involved in a serious road accident, but what should you do about minor collisions?
With small scrapes, such as catching the bumper of the car in front as you move off at the lights, you might think nothing of it if you both get out and agree “no harm done”. But if you don’t exchange details or report the incident to the police you could face repercussions further down the line. So to help clear up any confusion, we look at what you should do if you suffer a minor car accident. Read more: What to do if you hit an animal on the road
The Road Traffic Act
Under the Road Traffic Act (1988) the rules are simple. If you’re driving a motorised vehicle and are involved in an accident which causes damage or injury to another person, vehicle, property or animal, (including dogs, horses, cattle and sheep), you must stop and give your vehicle registration along with your name and address to “anyone with reasonable grounds to be asking for those details”. In most cases this will be the other driver. And if you’re not the vehicle owner, you should hand over the vehicle owner’s details too.
Report the incident within 24 hours
'If you don’t exchange details at the scene, you must report the incident to the police within 24 hours,' says motoring lawyer Alison Ashworth from Ashworth Motoring Law.
'The problem is there’s often confusion over what people perceive to be an accident,' she says.
Ashworth says she sees, “an increasing number of court cases for things like ‘a clipped wing mirror’, which people may not consider as an accident. But if they fail to stop, the penalty can be severe.'
Read more: How to react to emergency vehicles on the road
Don’t get caught out
If you don’t exchange details at the scene, or report the incident to the police, it could look like you’ve failed to stop. This, according to Ashworth, could potentially incur two offences: 'failure to stop', and 'failure to report an accident'. Both can mean a minimum five points on your licence, a fine, or in the worst case scenario, a prison sentence.
Car parks and petrol stations
If you have a prang or scrape on private property, say a supermarket car park or petrol station, the same rules apply when it comes to exchanging details or reporting an accident as they do on the road. But what if the other driver isn’t around when, say, you scrape a parked car? In this case it’s a wise move to leave your details on the windscreen, and you should still report the incident to the police as you’ve not been able to exchange details with the other driver.
Read more: Safety tips for driving in the dark
Call your insurer
Policy small print usually states that it’s your responsibility to tell your insurer about any accident, however minor and regardless of whether a claim is likely to be made. 'The reason being that some drivers may say at the roadside they don’t want to make a claim, but later change their mind,' says Emma Banks from insurer Esure. 'People may initially think the damage is minor, but later find out repairs are more than they expected or that there’s unseen damage and then decide to make a claim.'
Will it affect my insurance premium?
So as well as swapping details or telling the police, even if both parties agree there’s no harm done, you should still let your insurer know.
Doing this won’t necessarily affect your premium, especially if no claim is made, according to Heather Smith from insurer LV=.
'Some insurers, including LV=, won’t let this information affect the premium, provided that neither party claimed for the accident.'
And if you’re in any doubt about whether you need to report any collision, however minor, it’s always better to report it to the police along with your insurer than do nothing.
Read more:How do I save money on car insurance?
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Tacoma, WA |
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I revved my engine at a stationary cop as I passed and was cited Failure to Yield to an Emergancy vehicle, WA DOT 46.61.212He was citing another driver, he didn't pull the other driver off the roadway, and was still on the road while citing. I was doing 33 in a 40, as a I passed, and was in the furthest edge of my lane, away from the officer at Midnight on the 27th of May.
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It doesn't appear that 'revving' your engine has anything to do with the statute. However, maybe it alerted the officer to your vehicle and the fact that he thought you didn't properly yield to his vehicle? There are facts such as lights, siren, emergency lights, lane travel, etc. that need to be looked at to make a better determination. Often it's easier to hire an infraction lawyer in your area. They usually know the system and how to best get you through it without being convicted or with a charge that might not get reported to DOL.
0found this answer helpfulhelpful votes|2 lawyers agree
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I agree you should look into hiring an infraction attorney. You or your attorney need to get the dash cam video, it should have activated when he activated his lights. This should show that he was pulled over and you did not fail to yield.
The information provided is not intended as legal advice and does not establish an attorney client relationship. If you are in the greater Sacramento area and wish a further consultation please contact me at (916)594-9442.
0found this answer helpfulhelpful votes|2 lawyers agree
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