avoiding a dunt

[newdriver]

Sorry about the length of this post.

Just curious what the good drivers here would have done. I'm not sure I acted very well in this instance.

Driving along a fairly busy road towards uni (holburn st. in aberdeen) in daylight, good conditions. No oncoming traffic on a long, straight road; no traffic at joining junctions. 30mph on my speedo which overestimates a bit.

There was a car on my nearside, boot facing me (possibly parked, no brake lights or indicators on) up ahead. Can't say for sure how close it was, but as it started pulling out (without indicating) I possibly had enough time to do an emergency stop, although I can't be sure. If i'd checked my mirrors I definitely wouldn't have had enough time to perform it. (I checked after my manouvre and there were cars behind me). Since there was no other traffic in front of me I used the other lane to try and avoid it. I was fully in the right lane as I went past but my car was still hit which I thought was strange as there was no junction to my right for them to turn into.

I pulled in at the next junction on the left and the car had pulled over at another junction on the right. I drove and parked behind them and started to get out, they drove off in the direction of uni where I was headed anyway. I followed them for around a mile and a half and eventually found them in a residential spot. They turned round, drove past me and carried off again. About 5 minutes later I managed to corner them and the woman got out. I checked the car and there was no damage. Hers was covered in dents and scratches which she said were there already. She was very apologetic and I was late for class so I just swore a bit and left her to it.

I imagine I wouldn't have done this in a test situation; but not sure what I would have done either.

[Pontoneer]

The various options would have included -

Warning her of your approach by means of the horn or a headlamp flash ( the latter prone to misinterpretation ) , slowing or stopping , or swerving as you did . The choice will always depend on circumstances .

Given what happened to you , I would probably have taken her number and , rather than follow her , reported her for leaving the scene and failure to stop and provide details . It might , arguably , be just about acceptable for a lone woman , unsure how a man whose car she has just hit might react , to drive to the nearest police station before stopping - if I thought this might be the case , I might follow at a safe distance , having called the police on my handsfree kit to explain the situation , lest I be accused of 'stalking' , placing in fear and alarm etc .

Out of interest , what kind of car was it ? I'll be in Aberdeen in a couple of weeks and will give her a wide berth if I know what to watch out for

[newdriver]

there was 2 of them in the car btw, and it was about 9am, not really prime stalking time even for me

it was an old blue micra, looks like someones taken a bat to it. i wrote down the plate somewhere lol

so what's the official line of stopping if you dunt someone? exchange details/phone the police? are you supposed to do this even if there's no visible damage?

[Pontoneer]

If involved in an 'accident' , you MUST stop and give your details to anyone reasonably requiring them . Failure to do so is an offence . If there is no one around and you have damaged property or injured certain animals , you MUST report the incident to the police as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within 24 hours . Should you hit , for example , a parked car and the owner is not around , it is considered good practice to leave a note with your contact details , otherwise report it to the police .

[Red Devil]

Pontoneer said:

If involved in an 'accident' , you MUST stop and give your details to anyone reasonably requiring them . Failure to do so is an offence . If there is no one around and you have damaged property or injured certain animals , you MUST report the incident to the police as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within 24 hours . Should you hit , for example , a parked car and the owner is not around , it is considered good practice to leave a note with your contact details , otherwise report it to the police .

Close but no cigar. RTA 1988 Section 170(1) is very specific

in a case where, owing to the presence of a motor vehicle on a road, an accident occurs by which—.
(a)personal injury is caused to a person other than the driver of that motor vehicle, or.
(b)damage is caused—.
(i)to a vehicle other than that motor vehicle or a trailer drawn by that motor vehicle, or.
(ii)to an animal other than an animal in or on that motor vehicle or a trailer drawn by that motor vehicle, or.
(iii)to any other property constructed on, fixed to, growing in or otherwise forming part of the land on which the road in question is situated or land adjacent to such land.

In reality you would have to stop in order to ascertain whether an injury and/or damage as specified above had occurred. If not, there is no requirement to provide any details or report it. A fore or aft nudge when parking often results in no visible mark on the other vehicle. I had someone do just that to the family barge a while back. Nothing for me to get excited about or demand the details of the inept bint who did it.

[blunder13]

Remember with driving you are always learning. In this particular situation, a parked car is a potential hazard, a door could open, a child could walk out from the other side or it could pull out unexpectedly. I always think it is better to brake out of danger rather than steer. The car you were passing came over to the right side, maybe they were turning in the road and didn't see you.

Learn from this and expect the unexpected.

[Pontoneer]

A dunt is that which causes a dent !

[BOF]

So is a Cent someone who asks daft questions?

BOF