Obligations after a crash

Author
Discussion

Tyre Tread

Original Poster:

10,579 posts

223 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
In 40 years of driving I've had one reportable incident but that was many ago.

Yesterday I spun off the road at slow speed and slid into a ditch. I broke 2 (fortunately rotten( fence posts and broke barbed wire. The front of the car intruded into a wheat field by, at most 6 feet.

A lady appeared claiming to be the landowner, being extremely hostile,and asking for my details. Didn't ask if I was ok just said she had to be at a meeting.

I was in the TVR in rural Scotland miles from anywhere on the phone trying to arrange recovery. I she took the reg off the car and I gave her my name and address. I refused my phone number and she didn't give her details. I couldn't remember my insurers at the time (I have four cars and regularly change insurers for obvious reasons)

Advice appreciated as I don't want to fall foul of law/insurance requirements.

Am I obliged to report this to Police (she said she had called them) and insurance company

TownIdiot

1,563 posts

6 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
Call your insurers and tell them what happened.

As it's very likely the landowner will make a claim you may as well get your car done, even if you were thinking of repairing yourself or not bothering.

alscar

5,370 posts

220 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
Tyre Tread said:
In 40 years of driving I've had one reportable incident but that was many ago.

Yesterday I spun off the road at slow speed and slid into a ditch. I broke 2 (fortunately rotten( fence posts and broke barbed wire. The front of the car intruded into a wheat field by, at most 6 feet.

A lady appeared claiming to be the landowner, being extremely hostile,and asking for my details. Didn't ask if I was ok just said she had to be at a meeting.

I was in the TVR in rural Scotland miles from anywhere on the phone trying to arrange recovery. I she took the reg off the car and I gave her my name and address. I refused my phone number and she didn't give her details. I couldn't remember my insurers at the time (I have four cars and regularly change insurers for obvious reasons)

Advice appreciated as I don't want to fall foul of law/insurance requirements.

Am I obliged to report this to Police (she said she had called them) and insurance company
Sorry to hear this -being PH is the car ok ?
Normally if an incident like this the advice normally is providing details exchanged then no need to inform Police.
Arguably details not fully exchanged but you aren't planning on claiming anything from her !
If you aren't claiming on your Insurance I also don't see why you would inform them.
I suppose its possible that she may be looking for you to pay for the broken fence and even be seeking financial compensation for any ruined crop but I would personally be tempted to wait for any contact on that.
We had someone ( clearly drunk ) put his vehicle through our front hedge after crashing into a car in the road and our near neighbours had already gone out and called the police.
He was arrested and the Policeman asked me would I want to claim for any damage to the hedge - I said no.




littleredrooster

5,700 posts

203 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
Yes - as damage to property has occurred, you must report it to Police as soon as possible and in any case, within 24 hours. Tell your insurance company also. You've already complied with giving her your name and address, although you should perhaps have got hers.

whimsical ninja

197 posts

34 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
Not sure if things are different in Scotland. In England & Wales it sounds like you've done everything you need to do, but generally your insurer will require you to tell them of any collision causing damage of any sort so best to tell them. No need to inform police unless Scotland is different

TownIdiot

1,563 posts

6 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
littleredrooster said:
Yes - as damage to property has occurred, you must report it to Police as soon as possible and in any case, within 24 hours. Tell your insurance company also. You've already complied with giving her your name and address, although you should perhaps have got hers.
No need to tell the police as the land owner has his details.

sugerbear

4,516 posts

165 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
Hopefully you took some photos. If not go back and take some
Photos of the damage, condition of fence posts etc and pass that on to your insurers


NDA

22,304 posts

232 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
There's no harm in reporting it to the Police - it might be the case that this woman has already done this, and who knows what she might have said?

As there were no injuries, you have complied with the law (as far as I know) by giving her your details.

K4sper

349 posts

79 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
alscar said:
Normally if an incident like this the advice normally is providing details exchanged then no need to inform Police.
Arguably details not fully exchanged but you aren't planning on claiming anything from her !
Nothing to do with 'the advice' or whether it is arguable that details haven't been 'fully exchanged' (whatever that means). The law is pretty unambiguous.

If there is an accident involving a car, which results in damage to fixed property on land adjacent to the road, the driver must stop and give their name and address (and that of the owner, if the driver is not the owner), plus car's registration, to any person having reasonable grounds to request it.

If personal injury is caused to anyone other than the driver, insurance details must also be provided.

If driver doesn't do any of the above, they must report the accident to a constable, or at a police station, within 24 hours.



martinbiz

3,369 posts

152 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
alscar said:
If you aren't claiming on your Insurance I also don't see why you would inform them.
Wrong

alscar

5,370 posts

220 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
martinbiz said:
alscar said:
If you aren't claiming on your Insurance I also don't see why you would inform them.
Wrong
But presumably by also making it crystal clear to them that you aren't claiming and this is for information only ?

alscar

5,370 posts

220 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
K4sper said:
Nothing to do with 'the advice' or whether it is arguable that details haven't been 'fully exchanged' (whatever that means). The law is pretty unambiguous.

If there is an accident involving a car, which results in damage to fixed property on land adjacent to the road, the driver must stop and give their name and address (and that of the owner, if the driver is not the owner), plus car's registration, to any person having reasonable grounds to request it.

If personal injury is caused to anyone other than the driver, insurance details must also be provided.

If driver doesn't do any of the above, they must report the accident to a constable, or at a police station, within 24 hours.
The landowner didn't give any details hence my comment is what I meant but I take your comments on board.

Cat

3,063 posts

276 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
alscar said:
The landowner didn't give any details hence my comment is what I meant but I take your comments on board.
The landowner was not the driver of a vehicle involved in the collision so there is no requirement for them to give any details.

Cat

TownIdiot

1,563 posts

6 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
alscar said:
But presumably by also making it crystal clear to them that you aren't claiming and this is for information only ?
Why wouldn't you make a claim if there is going to a claim for property damage?

alscar

5,370 posts

220 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
TownIdiot said:
Why wouldn't you make a claim if there is going to a claim for property damage?
Because at this stage we don't know whether the landowner will in the cold light of day hence my earlier comment.
Of course she might though in which case by making a claim I have obviously misinterpreted what the OP was saying which I took to read as he didn't want to make such a claim ?!

Earl of Petrol

539 posts

129 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
alscar said:
martinbiz said:
alscar said:
If you aren't claiming on your Insurance I also don't see why you would inform them.
Wrong
But presumably by also making it crystal clear to them that you aren't claiming and this is for information only ?
You are obliged to tell your insurer if you have damaged TP property. No matter how minor it may appear. If you don’t want to claim for your own damage that is up to you.

Durzel

12,455 posts

175 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
With just your plate the landowner could pay £10 to AskMID and get your insurance details (insurer & policy number), and contact them directly.

They'd then likely contact you and ask whether it happened, what your account is, and potentially why you hadn't already reported it.

Until (if) that happens I wouldn't do anything. No point preempting something you don't even know is going to happen.

That all said - isn't "spun off the road" and "at slow speed" a contradiction in terms?

TheLoraxxZeus

401 posts

26 months

Thursday 29th August
quotequote all
Durzel said:
That all said - isn't "spun off the road" and "at slow speed" a contradiction in terms?
TVR life.

Durzel

12,455 posts

175 months

Friday 30th August
quotequote all
TheLoraxxZeus said:
TVR life.
laugh

Alex Z

1,506 posts

83 months

Friday 30th August
quotequote all
If there is damage to property (which there is), and you have not provided insurance details when requested to do so by someone with a valid reason to ask (which the land owner did and was), then you still need to report this to the police.

To be on the safe side, I’d let them know.

https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-inform...