Scraped a parked car, panicked and left (Scotland). What do I do?
Posted by Lexi976@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 61 comments
I scratched a car in a car park yesterday morning then panicked and drove off.
I've been feeling sick ever since and hugely regret not leaving a note.
I'm quite new to driving and have never been in a situation like this before so reacted poorly.
I had just received some bad news, so was distracted, and when I reversed out of the space I turned too early and scraped the other car. Not an excuse - just context.
I was going to call back in at the station today to leave my details in case the owner had come in to ask about it. However, after googling I realised it was a criminal offence to leave without giving a note with my details.
There are cctv cameras in the car park and at least one witness.
I have now reported it to the police using the online form (alternative to calling the non emergency number).
I feel physically ill.
I haven't told anyone as I'm horrified at my own behaviour. I told my parents I scraped a wall in a panic and don't know how to admit what actually happened.
After reporting it, I'm worried the police will come to the door. I felt a little relieved after submitting the report at doing the right thing (albeit too late).
Has anyone been in this situation? How did you handle it? Does reporting it to the police within 24 hours counteract the fact I drove away?
mootunes@reddit
Was there any outcome to this?
FunLove5494@reddit
.
No_Mix_8890@reddit
Report an accident to police
Creepy-Bumblebee2240@reddit
Please help I’m in the same situation I reported it on the online form a few hours ago. How long did it take for them to call you?
Flimsy_Confection165@reddit
Your an asshole. Someone just did this to me I'm really pissed about it was a 4 day old car.
LumpyCamera1826@reddit
Most likely nothing is going to happen. You've made a dumb mistake but you are a new young driver, it happens. Just learn from it and try and handle it differently if it happens again in the future.
OrvilleTheSheep@reddit
I very lightly touched someone's bumper in Reading services reversing out of their tight spaces - left a barely noticeable tiny scratch on their bumper.
Needed to be somewhere and they were nowhere to be seen, and had no paper to leave a note so had to just leave. Got a letter from the police a few weeks later as they'd gone through the CCTV over it.
The police didn't care, and neither did my insurance company.
aliceinlondon@reddit
What did the letter say?
OrvilleTheSheep@reddit
Bit late.
Being investigated for careless driving and leaving the scene - just asked you to write out what happened and nothing ever came of it. Imagine it went straight in the shredder.
sammy_zammy@reddit
Once lightly bumped someone’s car in a car park. Went to a corner shop to buy a pen and a birthday card so that I had paper to write on, left my details.
Unsurprisingly they never contacted me.
Unfortunately the people who’ve knocked my wing mirror off, scraped the front of my car and scraped the back so badly that my petrol cap was jammed, didn’t think to leave a note :(
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
I think that depends on the kind of person! I wouldn't, but there are absolutely people who would and it's totally reasonable to do so.
Luton_Enjoyer@reddit
In the very unlikely event of the police/car owners coming after you, you'll be fine by being honest and explaining that you are a new driver who left in a panic.
CliffyGiro@reddit
No they wouldn’t be fine by being honest after the fact.
If the other party reported it and it was captured on CCTV/Dash cam.
OP would be charged with fail to stop/fail to report.
Road traffic law is the most black and white law that exists. Driving is a heavy regulated and licensed activity for a reason.
OP has since covered their arse by reporting it on the Police Scotland contact us form which is definitely the right move.
CliffyGiro@reddit
Obviously you should have left a note with your details at the time or contacted the police as per the letter of the law.
Literally hundreds of people don’t though.
If there’s CCTV or dashcam footage you’re going to get a knock at the door and police will run through what’s known as 172 procedures with you. Then they’ll charge you with fail to stop and fail to report.
The court will probably issue a hefty fine.
If there’s no CCTV, no witnesses you’ll probably get away with it but it’s a shitty thing to do to another person who now has to sort it out at their own expense.
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
I did report it to the police using the online non emergency form last night.
I still feel sick about it and if I could go back and leave a note I would but that obviously isn't possible.
CliffyGiro@reddit
In that case you will be absolutely fine.
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
How likely is it that the police will turn up? Does it depend on whether the other person reports it?
CliffyGiro@reddit
I’ve you’ve reported it via contact us there’s no crime so the police will just put you in touch with the other cars registered keeper and you’ll resolve it yourselves through your insurance or whatever.
You’ve covered yourself well by reporting it via contact us.
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
Will I hear back from the police? Is there a normal timeline for responding to online reports? I don't like that I didn't get a confirmation email, makes me feel like it didn't go through. 😬
CliffyGiro@reddit
You’ll maybe be waiting a couple week.
It goes to a what’s known as a resolution team, they’re mostly police officers that can’t be operational for one reason or another and they basically get a big stack of admin allocated from the stack each day so it just depends what’s in front of you in the queue.
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
I got an email confirmation this morning saying someone would be in touch in due course. Will that just be a phone call?
CliffyGiro@reddit
Aye, I’d think just a phone call.
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
Thanks 😊
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
Thank you 😊
Chilton_Squid@reddit
What you've done is fine, it's now on record and if someone contacts the police you've done everything possible to let them know.
You could literally argue that you didn't have a pen and paper so went home and reported it online instead.
It's not great but it happens countless times a day and you're not going to go to prison.
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
Someone said police Scotland won't accept the report from the online form. It has now been over 24 hours so I'm panicking that I haven't actually reported it as you're supposed to.
Chilton_Squid@reddit
You've done something, which is enough to cover you legally.
MajorPopsicles@reddit
What if you can’t leave a note/need to leave the scene to get pen/paper? Wouldn’t reporting it to the relevant authority suffice?
CliffyGiro@reddit
Section 170, Road Traffic Act 1988:
Any driver involved in a road traffic accident must stop and provide their details. If a driver does not comply with this requirement he must report the accident to the police as soon as reasonably practicable and, in any case, within 24 hours of the accident.
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
Also out of curiosity - how often do people report it if it happens to them?
Unless there was really serious damage to my car, I probably wouldn't bother.
CliffyGiro@reddit
That’s a difficult one really, you have to bare in mind that I only deal with reported cases so to my mind people report it quite a lot.
There are variables at play, if they notice on return to their car/if they go park up somewhere else on the way home and then notice when they’re home kind of thing.
I was dealing with one or two of these a week when I was on response but I’d imagine for each one that get’s reported you could have hundreds that people don’t notice/notice a lot later on or simply don’t care about.
Someone hit my car when I was parked up at TK Maxx in Falkirk and they done about £1000 worth of damage to the paintwork so naturally I reported it.
On separate occasion, someone scuffed my car and I was able to just buff it out so again naturally I wasn’t arsed and just moved on with my life.
However some people are extremely petty in life and they’d report pretty much anything to the police so yeah it’s hard to say.
MajorPopsicles@reddit
Thanks for this - I guess I’m not clear on how could you reasonably avoid breaking the law with regards failure to stop in the scenario I mentioned? Would the driver really be expected to sit and wait for an owner to return to the vehicle to pass on details if they had no ability to leave them otherwise?
Useful_Engineer_6122@reddit
I would be amazed if that happens for a car park scrape given current policing pressures, especially as they've already made a report. There's no public interest in a prosecution here.
CliffyGiro@reddit
You’d be wrong.
Source: My job.
arctickiller@reddit
Police don't respond to burglaries but they respond to a scratch on a car on a car park? Can't see it.
CliffyGiro@reddit
The OP is in Scotland.
I am answering the question from the perspective of a Scottish Police Officer.
So far I’m not aware of a presumption of non-attendance to Housebreakings within Police Scotland however please do provide a source and correct me if I’m wrong.
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
You've been amazingly helpful thank you. When I was looking it up I could see there had been an increased police response to this type of incidents in Scotland over the last few years so wasn't feeling very reassured by the people commenting that they wouldn't do anything!
This happened at a train station early in the morning where there are cameras. Assuming the person was commuting to work, they wouldn't have returned to their car any time soon so I couldn't wait to speak to them in any case.
CliffyGiro@reddit
Like I said earlier, hundreds of people fail to report and they get away with it and you never know you might have.
The increased presence of CCTV/Dashcam just make it more likely to be what we call “detected” and then for you the consequences just aren’t worth it.
You’ve done the contact us form now so there’s no criminal element to it now and really nothing to worry about.
Most new drivers have a wee bump or a scrape, mine was with an wall in my own garden you’ve just been unlucky that it’s someone’s car.
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
Thank you!
It's not about 'getting away with it', more that I didn't want to have inadvertently committed a crime.
If I can get in touch with the other driver to offer to pay for repairs I will. I'll probably pop back to the station tomorrow to see if they went in and left details.
CliffyGiro@reddit
I know pal, my point is that for a lot of people it absolutely is about “getting away with it”.
Please don’t worry anymore about it anymore.
Chilton_Squid@reddit
Yeah that'd never happen
CliffyGiro@reddit
Happens every day mate.
Comprehensive_Gap693@reddit
Hey firstly don't beat yourself up here. This happens all the time and you had a 'flight' response. However you have taken all steps to address it now. Wish we had more people like that. Bought my first ever car with cash I had saved really hard for. Parked outside house and a van scratched down the whole side of it and took out wing mirror. Never left a note or ever tried to come back. It just happens. You did good.
Unhappy_Archer9483@reddit
The sob story is too much! I feel sorry to the person who car you hit
Sea_Page5878@reddit
How dare you feel bad for the victim of this crime!
aje0200@reddit
I think for the sake of your mental health please take a breath and a step back. What you’ve done has not hurt anyone, you’ve not ruined anyone’s life.
If you put all this into perspective, you’ve done what you can and mistakes happen. It’s not worth this much worry over it.
SeaLeggs@reddit
They haven’t done what they’ve can 😂 they’ve run off and left the poor sod to deal with their damaged car.
hattorihanzo5@reddit
What even is this comment? They fucked up and are doing what they can to make things right. Would you rather they just do nothing?
aje0200@reddit
Maybe so, but it’s not worth having a panic attack over. I’m just trying to help.
irritatingfarquar@reddit
Leaving Scotland might have been a bit excessive tbh 🤣
Lexi976@reddit (OP)
Grammar counts! 🤣
f1madman@reddit
Having had my car scratched and dented and even as a result of a neighbours car being robbed and hitting mine.... nothing will happen
clariorio@reddit
I used to be a police officer in London so not sure this applies to Scotland but I'm sure it would.. You must make your report as soon as possible within 24 hours of the collision. You've done that so I honestly wouldn't worry and I certainly can't see police knocking on your door.
NoCommunication7@reddit
Even if they went to the police they still wouldn't go full CSI on a scratch, most people don't even care about their cars anyway, just something they tell the service center to deal with on the next MOT or whatever.
terryjuicelawson@reddit
Police will not come knocking, relax. It may catch up with you but just via insurance. You've done all you can, reported it, the owner of the car wasn't there and it is just a scrape.
BLUE_SURGE@reddit
I did the same when I was 17 in the UK. I panicked and drove off, I’m 27 now and never heard anything. I felt bad, but I was a stupid kid.
I did the same at 23, this time I left a note. I actually met the owner face-to-face, I gave him my insurance details and hugely appreciated the note. He never asked for money, or went through the insurance (this was in America where I could’ve easily gotten away with it due to no cameras)
Basically you’re unlikely to suffer any consequences. However, take it as a learning experience, it’s always good to leave a note.
sammy_zammy@reddit
You will be fine!
Firstly, you’ve reported it to the police, so you’re in the clear. So you can stop panicking for a minute.
Secondly, to put it into perspective, no one was injured. I think it’s good to remember it could always have been worse.
Finally, it was only a scrape - the owner probably really isn’t bothered. I’ve left a note before and they never bothered to contact me! I’ve also had people hit my parked car many times, even going so far as to knock the wing mirror off, and they left nothing.
Take it as a lesson on what to do better next time, but you will be fine. Absolute worst case, your insurance will take a hit.
CommercialUnhappy357@reddit
I did this a couple years ago, drove past a parked car and ripped its wing mirror off. Was rushing about picking up various things on the way to a wedding. I didn’t have anything to leave a note with so had to leave it. It’s not illegal to leave the scene as long as you report it to the police I think within 24 hours? It doesn’t need to be there and then. I was the same as you, a nervous wreck. But police said I had done what was legally right by their standards by reporting it to them within that time frame so nothing else to do.
tangyoptimism@reddit
Funnily enough, my elderly parents in their 70s have gone on holiday to scotland and hired a car. Someone clearly drove into and left a dent and scratch on their hire car while it was in the car park and they’re fretting about it all and having to come up with costs. My great grandma passed away earlier this year and this was my parents first chance at a holiday away from London to enjoy some great british scenery and its now been a bit of a downer. Good on you for having a change of conscience, you don’t necessarily know the circumstances or impact some relatively minor or trivial things can have on other people.
windy_on_the_hill@reddit
When your conscience eats you up like this you're better to seek to make it right. No other reason than it frees you. Better to go through the challenge head up than lying awake at night worrying.
You've reported it to the police. I would say that is sufficient action to put your mind at ease. If they have a report from the other driver they can match it up and make contact. Going back to the station is another step towards peace, if you need more. If it's a regular person there you might just find them. In either case, you can easily explain "I was distracted by bad news, made a mistake, and have reported it to make amends." No one is taking that further unless you are absolute git to everyone. (Generally a git wouldn't be reporting it proactively to the police, so I think you're on good footing.)
If it was a wee scratch the other driver might not even have noticed. If their bumper was hanging off that's a different thing.
I would suggest a quick post on r/legaladviceuk. You might be required to tell your insurance company, even if there isn't a claim. Probably not an issue unless the police come back to you after the reporting time period, and you have to raise a claim then.
bertiebasit@reddit
Sounds like you knew what you were doing, and this sob story won’t change the fact that you’re getting a knock on the door.
I’ve had this happen to me.