My wife was driving down the notorious 'lane' near our house, which narrows in a few places where it's difficult to get two cars through. She met a car coming the other way and pulled over right up against the hedge and stopped. The other lady crept past and it was all going well until she pulled away from her hedge too soon and clipped our car. She wanted to settle privately rather than go through insurance (I think she thinks she can get away without telling them but you're obliged to, and we will of course be telling ours). We got a quote from Chips Away, £400 ish and she says she'll pay half.
On our car, it's a small scuff on the rear side of the rear wheel arch, and a little on the rear bumper. On her car, it's a reasonable dent to the rear edge of the front wheel arch. I think that proves it was her car moving into ours, as there is no way our car could have moved to put the rear bumper into contact with her car. If my wife had been moving forward it would have avoided the collision altogether, if she'd been steering to the right the front or middle of our car would have made contact. This collision can only have happened by the other driver steering to her right too soon.
My question is this: Would an insurance company use reasoning like this to prove that my wife was not at fault? The other driver in the WhatsApp conversation says that all her friends (hah) have told her it would be knock-for-knock, but she also maintains it was dark when it wasn't. I think if I were my insurance company I think I'd be pretty confident.
I really don't want to have to pay even half to fix the damage she caused by driving into our car.
Just let the insurance know what happened and let them sort it out and move on. I know it can be frustrating but the grief this stuff can cause can be overwhelming.
I will be letting them know - but before I call them I want to know if I'm telling them I'm going to claim.
Write everything down as it all happened now while it's all fresh in your memory or your wife's. Take photos of your vehicle and incident location. Check the other car is motd and insured.
I had a black and white incident where a car reversed into me in broad daylight, in front of witnesses and they admitted liability. But clearly their mates decided better and he decided to fabricate a bullshit story and tried to implicate me as at fault. People can be ****s.
Unfortunately I found out he was uninsured and no mot via DVLA checker. The police paid a visit, his car got crushed, all to save 200 notes to fix a scrape on my bumper.
From personal experience I've had minor work done out of my own pocket for a fraction of the cost of equivalent insurance paid work.
Is the 400 for both vehicles or just yours? It sounds quite a lot for what you describe if it's just your vehicle. I could be out of touch on prices though. I had a polo wing respray for 200 just after COVID, was a lovely job
Write everything down as it all happened now while it's all fresh in your memory or your wife's. Take photos of your vehicle and incident location. Check the other car is motd and insured.
I had a black and white incident where a car reversed into me in broad daylight, in front of witnesses and they admitted liability. But clearly their mates decided better and he decided to fabricate a bullshit story and tried to implicate me as at fault. People can be ****s.
Unfortunately I found out he was uninsured and no mot via DVLA checker. The police paid a visit, his car got crushed, all to save 200 notes to fix a scrape on my bumper.
From personal experience I've had minor work done out of my own pocket for a fraction of the cost of equivalent insurance paid work.
Double ppst
My question is this: Would an insurance company use reasoning like this to prove that my wife was not at fault?
No, sorry - that would be implying that they approach claims with some sort of sense!
I think that proves it was her car moving into ours, as there is no way our car could have moved to put the rear bumper into contact with her car
... Unless the other lady said your wife was reversing.
Unfortunately, there's no way that you can prove that your wife was not actually moving, so it will be knock for knock.
I think the pattern of damage does prove that our car wasn't moving.
We also have a witness, albeit not an unconnected one. It was my wife's colleague (not friend).
I just examined the damage on ours - you can't tell in which direction the scrapes go. However the pattern of damage on her car can't possibly have been made by us reversing into her.
Exactly the same situation 25 years ago. Mrs_oab stopped with her front bumper touching the wall and hedge. Other car slowed, but then went for the gap and in doing so took out both front wings and headlights. But you could see where the glass had gone - our car was stationary and most of the glass was resting on our bumper, the other car had 'projected' glass and had a skid mark alongside our car.
Took photos, argued our case.
Still went knock for knock.
The worst bit was our lovely VW Polo 'breadvan' was replaced by a Proton hire car that broke down on us a day later on the top of Shap at night, pre mobile phone..
In nw England a car panel respray is 150. It's good too, everyone goes even the ins companies. Any one side panel.
Had a situation like this a few years back and insurance just said knock-for-knock. It was patently obvious (to me at least) that the other driver was at fault but they didn’t really make any attempt to establish who was at fault as far as I could tell. Damage on the side of both vehicles, no witnesses, knock for knock. They paid to repair my car but no doubt got the money back off me with interest over the next few years and my details appeared on some database, so I was fielding calls from ambulance chasers for months.
To be honest, if I had the chance again I probably would sort it out privately and not tell the insurance company as it was far more trouble than it was worth.
(I think she thinks she can get away without telling them but you're obliged to, and we will of course be telling ours).
I hope you enjoy your increased premiums over the next few years - they’ll cost you more than £200!
We still have to tell them even if we don't claim, so they will still go up.
From experience they default to 50:50 if there is no white line down the centre of the road.
I assume this is because it works out cheaper for them than doing any actual work to look into it, however compelling the evidence.
Let the insurance sort it. Most likely 50/50, but you are already seeing the other party start to alter the narrative. Lots of scum bags out there - even when you are lying on the road splatted.
We still have to tell them even if we don't claim, so they will still go up.
so tell them its not your fault. youre not supposed to admit liability anyway (iirc)
stick to your guns, dont let them put your premium up, or lose part of your ncb
It'll go 50/50 I suspect. Get a dashcam for future.
Go through insurance - that's what it's there for. Someone trying to chip you down by half straight away is going to be a chancer.and a pain in the arse to deal with.
Focus on you being stationary and it being the other car moving against yours when you report it.
We still have to tell them even if we don't claim, so they will still go up.
If you’re going to tell them then just claim
on the insurance. It’ll cost you the same either way once you tell them.
stick to your guns, dont let them put your premium up, or lose part of your ncb
Good luck.
Focus on you being stationary and it being the other car moving against yours when you report it.
You're saying that as if they're actually going to listen - they won't.
I'd put good money on them saying knock for Knock IF you tell them.
Remember it's a no claim bonus not a no blame bonus.
Even if they (and the other insurers.... might actually be the same company) sided with your wife your premium will probably still go up as they will have decided that the roads around you a dangerous so this is likely to happen again.
If it was me I'd not tell them, but if the other party does claim then you're screwed.
she says she'll pay half.
"I ran into your stationary vehicle and am graciously offering to pay half"?
Insurance then. Given that she's already started spinning lies and excuses I don't understand why this is even a question. She won't pay. And telling your insurer and then not claiming is batshit.
I’ll go against the grain here and say that for £400 there’s no way in the world I’d be telling my insurance unless the other party started playing silly. (Yes, I know I should, shoot me…)
Tell them to pay the full amount and move on.
And if they won’t you’ve still got a calculation to make on on much your premium will go up by telling them.
Lunge saying the quiet part out loud.
Anyway, based on what's written here, my money is on 50/50 and the insurer recouping every penny through increased premiums over the next couple of years.
You're saying that as if they're actually going to listen - they won't.
Not all insurers are the same.
If it was me I'd not tell them,
Great way to commit fraud. 👍
If your wife was stationary, the other party is 100% liable.
If the other party admits to their insurance company that they were moving it should settle in your favour.
Good luck.
Qv
Not telling your insurance company is not fraud.
v.
If it was me I'd not tell them, but if the other party does claim then you're screwed.
😉
Perhaps we can agree acting fraudulently is generally not a good idea.