Car

[girlygirl2]

I accidently bumped a parked car in a car park when I was parking, I was doing about 5mph if that, there was absolutly no damage to either car - what should I have done?

[NORMANTHEDOG]

you should have left your details on the other car,if it was seen on cctv you might still get a claim against you,silly girl.

[Bird Legs]

Just forget it. How many bumps do you think there are every day when people are trying topark, and if there was no sign of damage on the other car, why put ideas in their head?. Do you really think that if your car got a minor bump that you would get a note admitting liability?

[hugnie21]

I have to completely disagree with Bird Legs.
No you shouldn't forget it, you should leave your details. And if you are worried about "putting ideas in their head" you should wait until they return and/or take photos to show there was no damage.

[girlygirl2]

Hello

NORMANTHEDOG please don't call me a silly girl, it's not a nice way to speak to someone you dont know but thank you for your other comments.

Bird Legs, I understand what you are saying and if someone had bumped my car and caused no damage then I wouldnt care, if they had caused damage then obviously thats different.

Hugnie21 I couldnt wait any longer than I did, I waited 5 minutes but there was a lady who was on the other side of the road when I banged it and started being really horrible to me and I was upset so I drove off.

If anything happens and I am contacted about it, of course I will admit liabilty but as I said, there wasnt any damage so I'm sure that there will be no come back.

I will just be more careful in the future.

[cascarelli]

If there was no damage then there is no problem. Don't worry about it. What would you say on any note that you left on the other car, 'Sorry, I didn't damage your car'?

[girlygirl2]

Lol - thats very true! :O)

[dot.broady]

Having read the replies, I have to thank you for making me lots of money.

I have written out lots of messages on scraps of paper (paper you would find lying around your car) and they all say.

SO SORRY, I accidently bumped your car but I cannot see any fresh marks. However, I expect you know you car better than I do, so could you have a look to see if there is any damage which I could be responsible for?. If so, please contact my Solicitor when you will be assured of compensation to repair your car. Please quote today`s date and ring them on 0870xxxxxxx.

Luckily I had the forethought to arrange this premium number and they should only pay �5. or so and leave a message.

I am now off to put a few hundred on random cars in Golders Green, and although I confess to putting ideas in their head, as hughie says - they will not take advantage, will they?

I totally agree with Bird Legs.

Just what planet does the idiotic hughie live on? Fancy suggesting you wait (for how Long). Produce a camera, take pictures which prove nothing, all for the sake of proving you did not do something?

[kags]

Personally, I wouldn't have left a note - however, what hugnie21 says has some merit - always carry a disposable camera in your car and a notebook. If you have any sort of accident, take pictures and make notes - it may deter an unscrupulous person from making a fraudulent claim.

[hugnie21]

Thanks kags.

And who is hughie?

[dot.broady]

UPDATE

Put 100 `apology notes` on cars in Golders Green at random.

98 calls claiming damage. Cost of repairing damage ranges from �27. to �471. Average = �246.

Cost to `Damaged` car owners 98 x �3.37 average = �330. - my share is �165. - thank-you hughee, and I did take photos of the "damage" to each car!

[Suetheramble]

If there is no damage how can the owner know that he has been hit?
I'm sure security has got better things to do than to watch through camera recordings then trace both owners to advise them they have been hit.
If there was loads of damage then damaged car owner would have to approach them for evidence and then they would probably have loads of hassel

[hugnie21]

I gather from the tone of det.broody's answers that this is something they feel very strongly about, especially as they went to the trouble of working out those averages.

Having never actually crashed into a stationary car before (it's only ever been moving ones!) I was only stating my opinion about what I would do, especially as I had just read a similar thread where someone received a police notice some time later as they had not left their details and it was caught on cctv. They are now looking at points on their licence.

It appears that not everyone is as honest as me, so now I have had second thoughts about leaving the details in case someone claimed for damage that wasn't there.

To go back to girlygirl2's question though, I believe the law states that you have to leave details or report an accident only if there is damage or injury, so you did nothing wrong by not doing so. But I still stand by my advice to take photos, then if someone does claim there was damage you have evidence to disprove it.

Funnily enough I washed my car today and underneath the dirt found two huge scratches and dents where people had crashed into me (there weren't any notes though so it obviously wasn't dit.breedy that did it).

[Braniac10]

I always advocate that in any case of this nature - try and get the name and address of a witness. I remember hitting a car not long ago and there was just a scratch to their vehicle. I paid them an agreed amount to rectify the damage. A couple of months later I received a letter stating that I had written their vehicle off and was asked for my Insurance details. Thankfully I had sold the car and moved abroad since the accident. Be careful - there are some very dodgy people out there. In your case - you were satisfied that there was no damage and you did wait. I would not place my personal details anywhere where they were open to all and sundry.