Colliding with another car is always a stressful experience. If you hit another moving vehicle, causing damage to either car, the level of danger is variable – but your next step at least is clear. You and the driver of the other car will both exit your vehicles and exchange insurance details.
What about if you hit a parked car, though? The likelihood is that there will be no one in the vehicle to exchange details with – so what do you do next?
This is a situation you may well find yourself in – after all, parking can be a tricky operation for young or inexperienced drivers.
If you do damage a parked car, the headline advice is: don’t just drive off. Driving away after causing damage to a vehicle or property (or injury to someone) is breaking the law and, if you do, you could be expecting a call from the police.
After all, there may well be witnesses, or CCTV, proving that you were responsible for the incident. If you have a telematics device fitted to your car as part of a black box insurance policy, that may have also recorded your driving style at the time of the incident.
Causing damage to a car and failing to stop can result in a prosecution for careless driving, failing to stop, and failing to report an incident. Result: a hefty fine and between five and 10 points on your licence.
What about if you hit a parked car, though? The likelihood is that there will be no one in the vehicle to exchange details with – so what do you do next?
What to do: step by step
The right thing to do if you have damaged a parked car is to stop – even if the damage to the other vehicle seems minor. Stop your car and turn off the engine. Switch on your hazard lights if you need them (for example, if you are temporarily obstructing traffic).
If you can, stay and wait for the owner of the car to return, even if there’s not been much damage done to their car.
If you are able to, it’s a real advantage to speak to the owner as soon as possible: that way, you can discuss with them what action they want to take, and you could avoid having to make an insurance claim.
It’s good to avoid making a claim if at all possible, as claims may result a raised premium for next year and/or the loss of your no-claims bonus.
If it’s not practical to wait, or if the driver doesn’t return in reasonable time, your next step is to leave your details so that the driver or owner of the parked vehicle can get in contact.
You should leave your name and address, plus your vehicle registration number (or, if you are driving someone else’s car, leave their details instead). If you haven’t been able to speak to the driver in person, leaving this note is a legal requirement.
Assuming that the driver of the other vehicle isn’t nearby, you can leave the information on a slip of paper under the windscreen wiper. A polite apology should also get you off on the right foot for future negotiations!
The next thing to do – and this is something many drivers are unaware of – is to report the incident. You should contact the police within 24 hours – by dialling 101, the police non-emergency number, not 999.
Why should you do this? Well, for one thing, the police will find it helpful to have a record of the incident.
Plus, if the owner of the other car does decide to call the police, rather than contacting you directly, the police will already be in the picture – and should be able to help you both come to an agreement.
When you dial 101, you’ll be asked your full name, plus your date of birth, your home or business address and the location where the incident happened. Once you’ve given these details, you’ll be asked more about the incident.
It probably goes without saying that, if the incident didn’t produce any damage or injury, there is no need to report it to the police.
Tell your insurers
Next we come to an important part of the process: informing the insurers. They need to know the exact circumstances of the incident. So, you should note down the time, date and location that the collision happened.
Although it might not seem obvious, you should also note down the weather, as certain weather conditions could have had an impact on your driving.
Take some photos if you have a phone or camera to hand – failing that, sketch the scene in as much detail as you can manage. These details could all help when it comes to any claims you need to make, to repair any damage to your vehicle or the other vehicle, through your car insurance (including insurance with a black box).
Talking of black box insurance, this form of cover may be especially useful here: the technology records your driving style, so it will be aware of your steering and braking movements which may be helpful in the event of a claim.
This is all you need to do at the scene itself. When you have these details, it’s time to contact your insurance provider. Do this as soon as possible – even if you’re unlikely to make a claim yourself.
You should give your insurers the relevant details – the date and time, the location where the incident occurred, and anything else they ask for. Add any photos and, if you have them, contact details for any witnesses to the incident.
If the damage – either to your vehicle or to the other vehicle – is minor, you might choose not to make a claim, so as to protect your premium for next year (and any no-claims bonus you may be building up).
This includes, of course, black box insurance policies, where a combination of telematics technology and your careful driving style may be helping to keep your premiums down. Black box insurance, in fact, can be instrumental not just in monitoring your driving style but in encouraging safer driving.
If the incident has put your own vehicle out of action, black box insurance can also help locate your car – and to alert the breakdown services to your location, allowing you to get help as quickly as possible.
Take some photos if you have a phone or camera to hand – failing that, sketch the scene in as much detail as you can manage.
How to avoid a collision
So far, we’ve advised you on what to do when you do hit a parked car. Of course, the very best advice we can give is to try to avoid this situation altogether.
And there are a few things you can do to drive down your chances of being involved in an incident like this – particularly when parking, which is when most of these incidents occur.
Good habits to get into when parking include:
Leave enough space
Make sure that you’re leaving enough clear space on either side of your vehicle, to minimise the chances of someone damaging your car when opening their own car door, or while walking past (or squeezing through a supermarket car park with a bulky shopping trolley!).
Look for wide spaces
If, after parking, you don’t feel you’ve left a big enough gap, take some time to find a wider parking space elsewhere in the car park. Spaces at the end of a row are always a good option.
Remember your mirrors
If you do need to park in a tight spot, remember to fold in your wing mirrors – these are often the first parts of a car to get damaged.
Consider your parking neighbours
It’s a good idea to park next to cars that are in good condition. Their drivers are probably looking after them well, and will manoeuvre them in and out carefully, taking care not to scratch yours in the process.
What if someone has hit your parked car?
We hope this advice on avoiding damaging other parked cars has been useful. Sometimes, of course, you may be on the receiving end of an incident like this, and someone may have damaged your vehicle while you were away from it. In this case, you have to hope that that person has gone through some of the steps that we outlined above! So:
Check to see if the other driver has left a note – probably under a windscreen wiper. Remember that, by law, they should leave this note, complete with contact information including name, address, registration number and a brief account of what happened. Again, if a note has not been left, the person who caused the accident could face a hit-and-run claim.
Get evidence of the damage. Take a few pictures of the damage to your car, and to the surrounding area. If you can include a time and date stamp on these photos, so much the better – these details could be crucial when it comes to making any insurance claims.
If no note has been left, look around for witnesses or CCTV cameras. You may be able to get some useful evidence from either of these sources – including an account of the incident and perhaps even the other driver’s registration plate. CCTV could be on posts in the car park, on surrounding buildings across the street and so on.
If you have had the good luck to have been left a note, you should contact the third party (the person who caused the accident) and your insurance company. Once you’ve done this, you can make an informed decision about whether you want to make a claim through your insurers, or pay for the repairs yourself (and protect your future premium and/or no-claims bonus).
Once again, your black box insurance policy could well help with a happy outcome here: benefits may include courtesy car cover, which you may need if your car has been put out of action by the collision, and windscreen cover – free repairs or replacements for any broken glass in your car’s windscreen, sunroof or windows.
If you don’t have the good luck to be left a note, or to track down the driver’s identity via witnesses or CCTV, the options open to you are to make a claim for the damage through your own insurance company – or to pay for the repairs out of your own pocket.
Check to see if the other driver has left a note – probably under a windscreen wiper.
Conclusion: do the right thing and all will be well
We know that, alongside the excitement of being out on the road under your own steam, life as a new driver is full of challenges. You need to get in the habit of remaining vigilant of the road conditions around you – for every minute that you’re behind the wheel.
Parking and manoeuvring are, for many of us, two of the biggest challenges to overcome. And you’ll soon find that, as a driver, getting in and out of tight spaces – on your road, at the local supermarket or retail park – is a very familiar fact of life. So it pays to become as competent a parker as you can, as quickly as you can.
There may be moments, though, when things don’t go quite to plan. Perhaps you’ve scratched another car easing in or out of a tight space; perhaps you’ve clipped a wing mirror as you driven down a narrow street.
The main thing to do in these circumstances is not to panic. Many of us will have similar experiences behind the wheel at some point in our driving careers: you are definitely not alone.
It’s essential to do the right thing and make contact with the other driver – either directly then and there if they are on the scene, or by leaving a note on their car. You must contact the police within 24 hours, too. And don’t forget to contact your insurers– even if you don’t intend to make a claim, they should be informed.
Follow these steps and that minor collision, though it was stressful at the time, will be something you recover from quickly, leaving you to continue your journey as a young driver.
Black box insurance from Smartdriverclub
We know that you’re taking every step towards becoming the best and safest driver you can be. Black box insurance can really help you here – and it could also reward your careful driving with lowered insurance premiums.
How does it work? The black box itself monitors your driving habits, including steering and braking. This can be a great incentive to drive as safely as possible – and once you’re managing that, you may find that your annual premiums come down.
Get a quick for black box insurance from Smartdriverclub today.