Driving standards

[duncan]

Other driver had kids in her car, possibly rushing to drop them at school & distracted ?

[Hobby]

If you do you could lose your NC though and have to declare an accident on any future requests for car insurance which will make a difference to your premiums. For this sort of incident you are better off talking to the other driver, no one was hurt and it's debatable whether it is any different to a car park scrape..  How on earth can they claim whiplash and then say the only damage is to a wing mirror! You could just deny all knowledge if they were that stupid. If you want to play safe, then phone them up and record the phone call and get them to admit what happened, then any future attempts by them would be deniable.

 

Your choice, but I'd prefer to sort it out without involving the insurance companies, it's not as if it affects the structural integrity of the car...

[Waverley West]

 

Well, we've gone and reported it to our insurance company. We were told  it would be taken into account when our premium was determined next year. Great, you do everything by the book and get penalised for it. Meanwhile, the other driver can now decide whether or not to do to go to her insurance company. I must admit I was concerned about the scenario where she followed the insurance route and we were effectively found out for not reporting an accident, however minor.

 

Judging from what Mrs WW said, the other driver does not seem a reasonable person and gave the impression that she just expected us to pay up once she'd sent us the bill.

 

The most likely scenario now seems to be that the other driver sends us the bill and we tell them to go via their insurance company. You would assume they would then realise the financial consequences of doing just that and leave it there.

 

We'll see I guess. Thanks to everyone for their input. A lot of unpleasantness and unnecessary hassle for something so minor and so obviously 50/50.

 

 

 

 

[Hobby]

The other woman won't have any choice now and I hope it costs her lots of money. How silly of her. Good luck, WW!

[Nick C]

You've done the right thing WW (sadly, yes, it probably will cost you, hopefully it will cost her more!). Good luck!

[Jol Wilkinson]

12 hours ago, duncan said:

Other driver had kids in her car, possibly rushing to drop them at school & distracted ?

Over 90% of the children attending our village primary school arrive by car. Those driving the cars are usually women and invariably drive and park with little consideration for others.

 

We managed to get a 20mph speed limit for the centre of the village next to the school after a "20s Plenty" campaign (which was not supported  by the school or PTA). The parents seem to be the ones who take least notice of it, despite walking their children along the road, which has no footpath.

[Waverley West]

Many parents drive their kids to our village school from the local town because the schools there are apparently not good enough for them. Many of them like the fact that the school has no uniform and encourages the children "to be individuals". There are actually two buses put on for these children, but they are usually less than half full. Meanwhile, a convoy of people carriers passes through the village every morning, one being our aforementioned "other driver" of course. I'm sure the school is teaching the children how to save the planet though.

 

While walking the dog this morning, I passed a woman, who I know drops her children off at the school every day, parked on the yellow zigzags on an awkward corner just outside the school. It must have been important because she was sat there on her phone. I despair. Do they think those lines are there for decoration?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hobby]

Take a photo and send it to the Police... Round here there are some who are so lazy they even drive from one end of the estate to the school rather than walk... I think it's the same everywhere... And to think I used to walk over a mile to my primary school and half a mile to the secondary. Yes there's more traffic around now, but most of that is people taking their kids to the school, take them out and it'd be quite quiet, like it is the rest of the day up to school's out time!

[peanuts]

38 minutes ago, Waverley West said:

Many parents drive their kids to our village school from the local town because the schools there are apparently not good enough for them. Many of them like the fact that the school has no uniform and encourages the children "to be individuals". There are actually two buses put on for these children, but they are usually less than half full. Meanwhile, a convoy of people carriers passes through the village every morning, one being our aforementioned "other driver" of course. I'm sure the school is teaching the children how to save the planet though.

 

While walking the dog this morning, I passed a woman, who I know drops her children off at the school every day, parked on the yellow zigzags on an awkward corner just outside the school. It must have been important because she was sat there on her phone. I despair. Do they think those lines are there for decoration?

 

 

 

 

 

 

of course it was important dont you know that a those lines dont apply to them they are far more important than that they apply to the little people 

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, Hobby said:

If you do you could lose your NC though and have to declare an accident on any future requests for car insurance which will make a difference to your premiums. For this sort of incident you are better off talking to the other driver, no one was hurt and it's debatable whether it is any different to a car park scrape..  How on earth can they claim whiplash and then say the only damage is to a wing mirror! You could just deny all knowledge if they were that stupid. If you want to play safe, then phone them up and record the phone call and get them to admit what happened, then any future attempts by them would be deniable.

 

Your choice, but I'd prefer to sort it out without involving the insurance companies, it's not as if it affects the structural integrity of the car...

You shouldn't lose a NCB if no claim is made.  After the incident above I have reported any incident even if the damage is minimal and the insurance company have noted it and thats it, it has never affected my NCB.

[Waverley West]

I think it would be stupidity of the highest order if our "other driver" does go ahead and make a claim. I really can't see any outcome other than 50/50, as we've denied liability (claiming 50/50). But our insurance company has already said the incident will "be taken into account" in our renewal quote next time round, even if no claim is made, so it seems like we're damned if we do and damned if we don't (declare the incident).

 

We have protected our NCB (the full nine years), but apparently that only applies if the money can't be recovered from the other party (uninsured drivers, etc.).

[Hobby]

Looking at people's wing mirrors these days you do have to wonder just how many are actually declared, there seem to be an awful lot around that are broken and not repaired! It's a shame because it's one of those incidents that doesn't need to be reported but for the stupidity of the other party... 

 

To be fair, though, modern wing mirrors can be quite pricey to replace, our Golf passenger side one got hit recently and it's going to cost over £300 (it's one of those folding/indicator/night light ones)! Ruddy pain in the bum...

Edited February 26, 2019 by Hobby

[TheQ]

I've had the glass smashed but luckily not the whole unit, so I just got a stick on glass. The other car didn't stop. Since I was brushing the hedge my side, they were definiately on my side as I've passed lorries at that point before no problem. We do suffer from lots of Rich Londoners Holiday homes, who come up at the weekends not knowing how to drive on Narrow country lanes. especially in wide BMWs  / Audi's  / Range Rovers.. They don't like reversing when thery've passed the passing place even if I've got the trailer..

[Waverley West]

 

9 minutes ago, TheQ said:

We do suffer from lots of Rich Londoners Holiday homes, who come up at the weekends not knowing how to drive on Narrow country lanes. especially in wide BMWs  / Audi's  / Range Rovers.. They don't like reversing when thery've passed the passing place even if I've got the trailer..

 

We suffer the same from tourists unfamiliar with roads only just wide enough for average-sized cars to pass, let alone the ever-larger cars on the roads these days.

 

What is very noticeable is that the more expensive the car, the more likely they are to just remain stationary while you squeeze past, knowing full well that any contact will be your fault. 

[johnlambert]

44 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

You shouldn't lose a NCB if no claim is made.  After the incident above I have reported any incident even if the damage is minimal and the insurance company have noted it and thats it, it has never affected my NCB.

 

As I understand things (which may be wrong) you won't lose your no-claims discount but your premium may still increase as this incident may suggest to the insurance company that you are a higher risk than it previously thought.  

[ejstubbs]

14 hours ago, duncan said:

Other driver had kids in her car, possibly rushing to drop them at school & distracted ?

 

That may have been the reason for her behaviour but it doesn't excuse it.

[polybear]

21 hours ago, Waverley West said:

Hi guys,

 

Looking for a bit of advice and help here....

 

This morning, Mrs WW was on her way to work when she passed another car coming the other way. Unfortunately, their wing mirrors clipped and minor damage was done to both mirrors. Both cars were moving at the time of the collision, neither at excessive speed. The other driver got out of the car and was initially unpleasantly aggressive towards Mrs WW.  After a while she seemed to calm down a little but claimed that Mrs WW was over on her side of the road. There is no white line down the middle of the road at the scene and the road is really only just wide enough for two cars to pass. It seems to be a pretty clear-cut case of claim and counterclaim with no proof either way. 

 

The other driver seemed to realise it would not be a good idea to claim via her insurance, but strongly implied she would be sending us the bill, After initially saying "I'm sorry", Mrs WW recovered her composure and calmly said she wasn't sure who if anyone was at fault.

 

My question is how to handle any "bill" that comes our way?

 

Do we:

 

1) State that it was a 50/50 incident with no proof either way (which is what it seems to be to me), and that that's the way the insurance companies would see it? So they would risk losing any no claims bonus they have (but then so would we - we have the full nine years too).

2) Pay up and forget about the whole thing. 

3) Or...?

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Dave

 

 

 

Don't admit 50/50, whatever.  Let them prove you were in the wrong, and take that stance with the insurance company also.  If the other driver sends you the bill, I'd phone them and ask for insurance details and car registration and also make clear that you will be disputing the claim.  My guess (unless they have a big Merc/Beemer etc. where wing mirrors can cost a packet) is they'll back off straight away.

It's also worth remembering that NCD protection doesn't mean the premium won't go up.  All it means is that the % discount off the basic premium is unaffected.  For example, you'll still be on (say) 50% discount, however the Insurance Company bangs up the initial premium cost after a bang. I have a word for them, but it'll get me banned......

If the worst happens and you do get a premium hike, just swap companies on renewal.  They'll lose more than you do.

[Reorte]

26 minutes ago, TheQ said:

I've had the glass smashed but luckily not the whole unit, so I just got a stick on glass.

That's happened to me a couple of times. Once I was driving along and the glass just suddenly fell out, I've no idea what caused that. Another time the mirror had got popped out its adjusters and I broke the glass trying to get it back in. The glass alone is a quick and cheap DIY replacement.

[polybear]

16 minutes ago, Waverley West said:

 

What is very noticeable is that the more expensive the car, the more likely they are to just remain stationary while you squeeze past, knowing full well that any contact will be your fault. 

 

Sit still and get the paper out.  They'll get the message

[Baby Deltic]

Just tell the insurance company you work as a service engineer and watch your premium skyrocket.

[caradoc]

It is noticeable, both at home in Scotland and down south in Oxford, how much quieter the roads are during school holidays. Having said that, after the schoolchildren's walkout a couple of weeks ago to protest against climate change, presumably a lot more kids will now be walking or cycling to school instead of being driven by Mummy or Daddy ?!

 

[Nick C]

1 minute ago, caradoc said:

It is noticeable, both at home in Scotland and down south in Oxford, how much quieter the roads are during school holidays. Having said that, after the schoolchildren's walkout a couple of weeks ago to protest against climate change, presumably a lot more kids will now be walking or cycling to school instead of being driven by Mummy or Daddy ?!

 

Our commute last week (half-term) took, on average, 10 minutes less each way than usual. Sadly it's back to normal now...

[Jol Wilkinson]

5 minutes ago, caradoc said:

It is noticeable, both at home in Scotland and down south in Oxford, how much quieter the roads are during school holidays. Having said that, after the schoolchildren's walkout a couple of weeks ago to protest against climate change, presumably a lot more kids will now be walking or cycling to school instead of being driven by Mummy or Daddy ?!

 

However, supermarkets become more crowded and noisier as the little ones go shopping with their parent(s).

 

As for walking and cycling to school to save the planet, somehow I don't think so. Their parents would worry that it would put them at risk from air pollution, traffic, #######s, etc.

[polybear]

17 minutes ago, Baby Deltic said:

Just tell the insurance company you work as a service engineer and watch your premium skyrocket.

 

Call yourself "Engineer", "Electrical Engineer" or "Mechanical Engineer" and see if that helps.... 

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

If it's a 50/50 and the other party starts getting shirty, just prolong the argument as long as possible with the other party and insurance companies.

I had a similar situation with my wifes car after a supermarket car park altercation, manage to spin it out long enough for my wife to die from breast cancer, so there was only one loser, not that I am suggesting a similar outcome for yourself obviously, but playing insurance gobbledygook has a some what satisfying ring to it!

 

Mike.