accident - what now?

iammumtoone

Someone drove into the back of me.


There doesn't seem to be any damage to my car but there was quite a bit to theirs.


What do I do?


Do I need to get it looked at to see if any 'hidden' damage or is that just a miff that can happen? car jumped forward quite a bit when they hit me, it was lucky I wasn't close to the car in front of me.


Do I need to tell my insurance? will it effect me if I do/don't? It is likely the other party will have to tell theirs regardless of the state of my car as the damage to theirs will need repairing.


Thanks

Aylesbury_Duck

iammumtoone wrote: »

Someone drove into the back of me.


There doesn't seem to be any damage to my car but there was quite a bit to theirs.


What do I do?


Do I need to get it looked at to see if any 'hidden' damage or is that just a miff that can happen? car jumped forward quite a bit when they hit me, it was lucky I wasn't close to the car in front of me.


Do I need to tell my insurance? will it effect me if I do/don't? It is likely the other party will have to tell theirs regardless of the state of my car as the damage to theirs will need repairing.


Thanks

Yes, get your car checked to make sure there's no structural damage underneath the bumper which will have sprung back into shape.

Yes, tell your insurer for information only at this stage. That way, if there is any damage to your car you've told them in a timely fashion and if the other driver reports it to their insurance you won't be accused of breaching your policy by not informing your insurer.

nickcc

You also need to report the collision as the other party may attempt to blame you for reversing into them. I realise that this would be difficult for them to prove unless they suddenly come up with an independent witness which you never knew existed.

iammumtoone

Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »

Yes, tell your insurer for information only at this stage. That way, if there is any damage to your car you've told them in a timely fashion and if the other driver reports it to their insurance you won't be accused of breaching your policy by not informing your insurer.

Thanks, it doesn't look like I have a choice but to report it, but will it effect my premiums? Probably no damage to my car (it seems to drive ok) so no claim but still an accident report through no fault of my own

Quentin

You can get an idea of what difference (if any) this incident makes to your premium by doing dummy quotes online with and without the incident in your history

Adly812

I was out posting a letter, totally legally parked and when I returned some moron had collided into my car. The damage was £2800, not my fault, his insurance paid all of it and I never lost my no claims bonus.. but declare the accident at renewal and yes it affects my price by about £50