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Accidents with unoccupied stationary vehicles



Hopefully most people involved in a road accident will know that you are obliged by law to stop at the scene and exchange details with the other parties involved. But what if you turn into a side road and accidentally clip the wing of an unoccupied parked car? The law states that it is actually an offence to leave the scene of an accident without swapping your details, so what should you do?


Report it to the police

Slipping a piece of paper under the wiper with your details on it, is not really good enough. Someone other than the owner could remove it, it could blow away or just become unreadable after a rain shower. If the police catch up with you will have no real evidence to prove that you did not just drive off, and you could be accused of leaving the scene of an accident.

By reporting the accident to the police you will be covering yourself. They will be able to trace the driver of the vehicle from the registration plate, and pass on the relevant information to them. Also they will possibly take other details from you including the circumstances of the accident which will all help to make the damaged car drivers insurance claim be as straightforward as possible.

It is entirely possible that the way the vehicle was parked, or where it was parked may have contributed to the accident in some way. Was the car parked illegally or dangerously, possibly causing an obstruction on a blind bend perhaps? If this is the case, it is absolutely essential that you take photos to demonstrate this. Ensure you get shots from different angles, and include several that have the registration plate clearly visible in them.

Also get the details of any witnesses if you can, it will all help with the claims process. Remember that although you may still have to share some of the liability it is still worth pointing out that the accident may not have been entirely your responsibility.

Contact your insurer or claims advisor after you have spoken to the police and they should be able to help you assess your options.

Please give us a call us on 0845 6768898 or start your claim enquiry using our online claim form.
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