Hi,
I was involved in a very minor collision last week and we have today received a letter from the police about it. I'm wondering if anybody is please able to offer any advice or has been in a similar scenario.
I was queuing behind a vehicle to go through a section of road on which traffic coming from the other direction has priority. The vehicle in front started reversing (I believe this may have been to make more room for an oncoming vehicle) and reversed into the front of my car. I sounded my horn when I realised they weren't going to stop but they still went into me.
There wasn't any visible damage but I suggested we exchanged details in case there was any damage inside the car which wasn't visible (I have no idea if this is possible or not but I don't know enough about cars to know either way). The driver gave me his details but said he didn't want mine, and just to call him if there was a problem. (I realise now that I should have made him take mine). At this point he told me that he was on a provisional licence and his mum was sitting next to him. (She nor anybody else got out of the car). There were no L plates viable on he back of the car. (I did not see the front).
This happened not far from home so as I was a little shaken (I've never been in an accident before) I went home, and about half an hour later there was a knock on the door. It was the driver of the other vehicle - as he had not taken my details I can only assume he had driven round looking for my vehicle.
He had somebody else with him who he told me was a friend of his who was a mechanic and they demanded (already quite aggressive in tone for seemingly no reason) to look under the bonnet to check for damage. I said I would rather they didn't, and immediately they started shouting at me saying they had pictures of my car showing there was no damage and would call the police to say I wouldn't let them look inside the car. I told them to do this if they wanted to and went back inside my house. They drive off shortly after and there was an L plate on the back of the car at this point.
I decided to let the police know what had happened (the accident and then coming round) and went down to the station to report it the following morning (within 24 hours). By chance the lady I spoke to had spoken to the other driver the day before, and she advised me that he had reported me for not giving him my details. She suspected they would be in contact to ask for more info about him not displaying an L plate (and potentially not being supervised - he had told the police his grandmother and aunt were in the car, not his mum as he has told me).
Fast forward a week and my OH (it is his car) has received a letter from the police saying that an accident has been reported and they need details of who was driving as they are allegedly guilty of careless, dangerous or inconsiderate driving and failing to provide details (I haven't got the letter in front of me now so this may not be the exact wording).
We will of course reply to the letter giving my details (although I was told these would be married up from the info I gave when I visited the police station myself). I am wondering if anybody knows what I should expect from here on? I genuinely feel that I am not in the wrong and fail to see how something this minor has escalated to this but I have a nasty feeling it will not be as cut and dry as I think it should be :(
I was involved in a very minor collision last week and we have today received a letter from the police about it. I'm wondering if anybody is please able to offer any advice or has been in a similar scenario.
I was queuing behind a vehicle to go through a section of road on which traffic coming from the other direction has priority. The vehicle in front started reversing (I believe this may have been to make more room for an oncoming vehicle) and reversed into the front of my car. I sounded my horn when I realised they weren't going to stop but they still went into me.
There wasn't any visible damage but I suggested we exchanged details in case there was any damage inside the car which wasn't visible (I have no idea if this is possible or not but I don't know enough about cars to know either way). The driver gave me his details but said he didn't want mine, and just to call him if there was a problem. (I realise now that I should have made him take mine). At this point he told me that he was on a provisional licence and his mum was sitting next to him. (She nor anybody else got out of the car). There were no L plates viable on he back of the car. (I did not see the front).
This happened not far from home so as I was a little shaken (I've never been in an accident before) I went home, and about half an hour later there was a knock on the door. It was the driver of the other vehicle - as he had not taken my details I can only assume he had driven round looking for my vehicle.
He had somebody else with him who he told me was a friend of his who was a mechanic and they demanded (already quite aggressive in tone for seemingly no reason) to look under the bonnet to check for damage. I said I would rather they didn't, and immediately they started shouting at me saying they had pictures of my car showing there was no damage and would call the police to say I wouldn't let them look inside the car. I told them to do this if they wanted to and went back inside my house. They drive off shortly after and there was an L plate on the back of the car at this point.
I decided to let the police know what had happened (the accident and then coming round) and went down to the station to report it the following morning (within 24 hours). By chance the lady I spoke to had spoken to the other driver the day before, and she advised me that he had reported me for not giving him my details. She suspected they would be in contact to ask for more info about him not displaying an L plate (and potentially not being supervised - he had told the police his grandmother and aunt were in the car, not his mum as he has told me).
Fast forward a week and my OH (it is his car) has received a letter from the police saying that an accident has been reported and they need details of who was driving as they are allegedly guilty of careless, dangerous or inconsiderate driving and failing to provide details (I haven't got the letter in front of me now so this may not be the exact wording).
We will of course reply to the letter giving my details (although I was told these would be married up from the info I gave when I visited the police station myself). I am wondering if anybody knows what I should expect from here on? I genuinely feel that I am not in the wrong and fail to see how something this minor has escalated to this but I have a nasty feeling it will not be as cut and dry as I think it should be :(