SORTED - Supermarket scrape - what will happen next?

The_Turner

QuackQuack wrote: »

Looking at the paperwork that I've just dug out of my attic, 2004. However my solicitor pointed out that we may indeed be 'right', but as the first hour and letter to the police cost £95 - and ongoing time would have been charged at about the same rate, it did not make good economical sense to pursue it for a couple of hundred quids worth of damage. I suspect the Police took the same view and hence the 'private ground' line.

The subject later came up in conversation when my neighbours daughter reversed into a car in a staff car park. The car park WAS defined as a private place as to use it, you were meant to have a permit (hence 'be a member of a club' so to speak). When the aggrieved party complained that she had not stopped, left details or report the matter the Police, once more, told the third party that it was private property, they did not have permission to use it and there was nothing they could do. I suspect in this case, however, it was clear cut.

One of the reasons I sought the other vehicle out and reversed into it in the same car park was to stick two fingers up to the Police and see if they would do anything - which would, of course, have been totally hypocritical. They did not. I don't advocate this as a way of fixing the broken Karma, but I felt much better about it afterwards.

Naturally I hope some common sense, and some effort and continuity now exists within the various police forces when things like this arise.

It would have come back to bite you, if they did you for criminal damage.

QuackQuack_2

The_Turner wrote: »

It would have come back to bite you, if they did you for criminal damage.

It was an 'accident'

Strider590

SingleSue wrote: »

She was not a happy chicken at being prosecuted by the police...and the police were not happy chickens with her, firstly for her failure to stop and leave details and secondly for her view on motorcycles and females riding them.

It's little to do with motorcycles, or female riders..... This is an insight on how old folks justify their actions when they do something like this. ANY excuse they can make, they fully expect that age will excuse them.
Same goes for poor parking and the same almost certainly went for when my car was hit in Tesco's carpark and the gentleman drove off "shouldn't have been parked there", "shouldn't have a dark coloured car", "shouldn't have such a big car", "shouldn't have reverse parked", etc, etc, etc.

bikerben_2

If I was ever lucky enough to own a 'nice' car I'd always park at the back of supermarket car-parks and take up 2 spaces. Driving skills in this country are dire and many people are not decent enough to pay up when they mess up.

On a slightly better note, a young lad rode into the side of my car the other week as I was leaving a secure unit (work related - honest!) and ended up denting my wing, bonnet and bumper as he took a flight over the front of the car. Unfortunately I recognised him so he couldnt ride off and his parents eventually paid £250 towards the repairs as I said I'd do the labour side of things. Had to laugh that his Dad told me they decided to pay up because they were christians, and not after initially telling me they were'nt going to pay and me threatening them with small claims:j

cyclonebri1

QuackQuack wrote: »

Problem is men better than you (and they are not at all difficult to find) don't see it quite so black and white - you can dig around and find various cases that say sections of the RTA apply to 'car parks', but good luck enforcing it. This one - where an uninsured driver hit another car in a car park - appears, as far as I understand it, to suggest that section 145(3) (at least) did not apply in a car park.

Naturally, if one can afford to go as far as the Lords for a couple of hundred quids worth of damage then fair play in trying. I'm pretty sure the Police are not going to be in a rush to do it given the potential costs.

There are other cases that two-and-fro this a bit, and the notion of 'a public place' seems relatively untested as far as I can find.

I would add that I don't necessarily think it's a good thing that car parks, which at first appear to fall under the auspices of 'a public place', could potentially be lawless places where damage can be done without giving a damn.

This makes an interesting starting point and tends to initially support that a car park is a public place, but it is then contradicted by the Law Lords who tend to be more focused on the word 'road'.

And given that neither you or I are a magistrate, it's down to nothing more than good old fashioned experience mixed with forum opinion and banter.......

Yes there will be the odd case when someone with a smart brief has wriggled out of the situation, but please take it that you will be dealt with in exactly the same manor whether you comit an offence under the road traffic act either on road off road in public car parks private car parks etc, unless you have express permission of private access for exclusive use of said area for other purposes, and that in itself carries a caviat of all sorts of other warning crape etc

mikey72

Strider590 wrote: »

It's little to do with motorcycles, or female riders..... This is an insight on how old folks justify their actions when they do something like this. ANY excuse they can make, they fully expect that age will excuse them.
Same goes for poor parking and the same almost certainly went for when my car was hit in Tesco's carpark and the gentleman drove off "shouldn't have been parked there", "shouldn't have a dark coloured car", "shouldn't have such a big car", "shouldn't have reverse parked", etc, etc, etc.

So what was this then, in your world no doubt it must have been a pensoner in disguise?

bikerben wrote: »

If I was ever lucky enough to own a 'nice' car I'd always park at the back of supermarket car-parks and take up 2 spaces. Driving skills in this country are dire and many people are not decent enough to pay up when they mess up.

On a slightly better note, a young lad rode into the side of my car the other week as I was leaving a secure unit (work related - honest!) and ended up denting my wing, bonnet and bumper as he took a flight over the front of the car. Unfortunately I recognised him so he couldnt ride off and his parents eventually paid £250 towards the repairs as I said I'd do the labour side of things. Had to laugh that his Dad told me they decided to pay up because they were christians, and not after initially telling me they were'nt going to pay and me threatening them with small claims:j

TrickyWicky

bikerben wrote: »

Had to laugh that his Dad told me they decided to pay up because they were christians, and not after initially telling me they were'nt going to pay and me threatening them with small claims:j

Lol. Reminds me of an old mate of mine.. Very dodgy bloke but used to go to church every sunday. I asked him why one day and his answer was this: "I go to church to be forgiven for the sins I've committed in the last week so I've got a clean slate for next week" :eek:

It's shocking how some people really think that they can do anything they want as long as they can excuse it somehow.

SRH_2

TrickyWicky wrote: »

No, you get their insurance details from them and then give them an offer:

1. Let the insurers deal with it
2. Sort it out privately and let them pay after xmas in january with a signed written agreement stating their name, address and policy number and that if they don't pay you will claim from their insurance.

That way you get your car sorted and they get their christmas, everyone is happy.

Made my decision... have let it go. My car is seven years old, already had a scrape on the door and it was a genuine accident. The dent is just going to have to stay. The woman whose car door hit mine was so relieved when I told her - and rightly or wrongly, I felt really good telling her I wasn't going to ask for any money.

TrickyWicky

Sometimes its easier just to let it go mate. I've made claims against people in the past and then just as you reassure yourself that you were in the right.. you go and smack someone elses car up. One thing I've noticed over the years on the road is that what goes around comes around. Sometimes its best just to move on and if you can do so, repair it yourself at a later date.

wazza

Sorted now. Police came to interview nephew. He admitted that he hit the car. Police decided not to take any further action. They told him that the other party is making a claim through their insurance. So my dear nephew is looking forward a heafty premium increase next year.