Fender Bender
I have a question about a car accident (if you can call it that) i was in yesterday
TL DR: Someone rear-ended me at like less than 5 MPH, we both ignored it and just left.
My question is did i screw myself out of some sweet insurance cash? or was it so minor that it wouldve been a hassle to exchange info that wouldve led to nothing? my bumper did get a slight dent but its almost impossible to tell at first glance.
Long story:
So i was driving home from school yesterday ready to start spring break and i was at a stop light, there was another car in front of me like 5 or 6 feet away and a bunch of other cars in the right lane that were going to turn onto the same busy street i was. So the light turned green and naturally i let my foot off the break slowly, after going forward about 2 or 3 feet i noticed the guy in front wasn't moving so i slowly started to come to a stop again, after i was at a complete stop for maybe a second the guy behind me smacked my car, i was in the middle of the street and trying to pull over to the curb seemed like it wouldve been insanely annoying because there were so many cars, so i just pretty much ignored it and we both just left. after driving a couple blocks i decided to pull over into a dead end street to see what kind of damage was done, turns out it only amounted to a slight dent in the bumper.
it was the first time in the 2 years since ive been driving that i was in an "accident"
I do have insurance and a valid Drivers License, i dont know if the other guy did but judging by the fact that he had a 2010+ Nissan i'd imagine he did have both as well
if you're wondering i have an old '97 toyota corolla w/ some scratches and other minor dents on the doors and what not.
So should i have done something or would i have just looked like a butt hole by making a scene?
6 Comments • Newest first
It's frustratingly stupid that nobody ever really tells you what to do in this situation. Like, I never learned it either, and I feel like I wouldn't really care cause my car has dents and scratches too.
I don't know what to do even if I did get out of my car. Nobody teaches this stuff, because all they teach in school is how to get through it.
If you leave the scene, theres a chance of you getting a hit and run charge. Always motion to the other driver to pull over if youre in a crash. You cannot just drive away.
I wouldve gotten pretty pissed if I were you
You should always get a picture of his car, your car, and his license plate even if you think there's minor damage
@ZeroFriends: It really wasn't a big deal. You just need to protect yourself is all.
[quote=DragonBandit]While he is at fault you wouldn't have gotten much for your car bumper. Probably like 200-300 bucks tops. My 2007 civic si got rear ended and I got like 570?
I was pretty pissed. Only way you would get a decent chunk of cash is if you said your neck/back hurt from it.
Anyways what you described was you leaving the scene of an accident. For you to decide that neither of
you are going to file a claim you actually have to stop and talk to the other driver. Even if you
are not at fault for the accident you can still be punished for leaving the scene. Which is usually
a much harsher punishment than your insurance payment going up. If the other
driver wanted to report you your license could be suspended for a certain amount of time.
I would not recommend ever leaving the scene again. You got lucky this time. But always pull over.
If they drive away then that's on them. But you definitely cant make the decision on your own.
Also there is always the chance that you both decide to drive away and they get your plates
and file a claim with your insurance company anyway. So I being an experienced driver no matter
what will always call the police and get a police report for any accident. So they cant come back later
and change their story. Or even damage their vehicle more to get a bigger check. I also take photos
of both vehicles. Its a cruel world out there and you always have to protect yourself.
This is all assuming you are in the US[/quote]
Alright, thanks
i'll make sure to pull over if it happens again, i just really felt like it wasnt that big of a deal but yeah i'd rather not get punished for something that couldve easily been taken care of
While he is at fault you wouldn't have gotten much for your car bumper. Probably like 200-300 bucks tops. My 2007 civic si got rear ended and I got like 570?
I was pretty pissed. Only way you would get a decent chunk of cash is if you said your neck/back hurt from it.
Anyways what you described was you leaving the scene of an accident. For you to decide that neither of
you are going to file a claim you actually have to stop and talk to the other driver. Even if you
are not at fault for the accident you can still be punished for leaving the scene. Which is usually
a much harsher punishment than your insurance payment going up. If the other
driver wanted to report you your license could be suspended for a certain amount of time.
I would not recommend ever leaving the scene again. You got lucky this time. But always pull over.
If they drive away then that's on them. But you definitely cant make the decision on your own.
Also there is always the chance that you both decide to drive away and they get your plates
and file a claim with your insurance company anyway. So I being an experienced driver no matter
what will always call the police and get a police report for any accident. So they cant come back later
and change their story. Or even damage their vehicle more to get a bigger check. I also take photos
of both vehicles. Its a cruel world out there and you always have to protect yourself.
This is all assuming you are in the US