Advice on what to do about a minor accident

VioletHill

Hi I want to ask some advice as to what I should do. Sorry this is so long.

So another driver was driving too far out on their side of the road and they whacked into my wing mirror causing it to fall out. I had seen the car coming and even though I was already driving close to the ditch (crappy hilly country road with a bad surface and loads of bends) I had moved in so we could pass each other. There was sufficient room for the both of us. But the other driver, who was going at speed and was driving very far out on the road didn't move in to her side at all. She stopped her car a fair bit down the road and I wasn't sure if she was going to stay at all so I pressed on my horn and jumped out of the car and picked up my mirror (which was somehow not shattered and directly beside my drivers door so I know I didn't move beyond where the impact occurred) and held it up so she could see she had caused damage. I began walking down to her and she was very slow to get out of the car. I asked her to come back to my car. She was very calm and collected and said several times 'Oh it will just clip back in. I've had to do it before'. The plastic back of the mirror was also fully intact so it did seem like it would be doable. As we were standing at my car trying to get it to click back in a man drove past slowly, presumably having seen my hazard lights.He had his window rolled down and seemed to be looking at us and the cars but he didn't stop. I was so shocked I very naively believed her and I never got any of her details. I couldn't even say the make of her car let alone the reg! I am so annoyed with myself for not handling it better but I was just so stunned by it all. I called to my mechanics house later fully expecting him to just pop it back in. He tried several times but said in the end he believed that the cables had been strained in the impact and he would have to replace the whole thing! He won't have the part until Tuesday and I was too scared to ask how much it would cost. I am so frustrated that I have to pay for her recklessness but I know since there's no evidence such as photos or marks on the road and I haven't her details that nothing can be done about that. But I've been thinking about it all and I'm bothered that since she was so calm and collected that she would maybe try and call the guards and claim I was in the wrong! She was up at the side of my car so she easily could've memorised my reg and I was wearing my work uniform which is very identifying. I also did not go down to her car, if I had I might've some bit of a reg to report, so I don't know what the impact did to her car. I know her wing mirror was intact but other than that I don't know if the mirror was badly scratched or what.

Also the fact she was driving fast for the type of road she was on and was so far out on the road, made no attempt to move her car over to her side of the road and stopped so far down the road, still a fair bit out, concerns me because her driving was dangerous and next time she could cause a serious accident. She can't have been paying any attention to the road because if she had she would've adjusted her road position and even when her car came to a stop further down the road she was still positioned very far out. The road is near a primary school and I keep thinking of any parent that might use it when dropping their children to school and they might have the misfortune of meeting this girl.

So I want to know should I report this to the Gardai? I have very little details about her but she did mention she lives near the road so maybe the guards could keep an eye out for her there? Although she could've been lying when she said that, like I said she was very unfazed by it all. The more I think about it, which is a lot because I keep replaying it over and over and it's making me so angry that I did nothing wrong and I'm the one with the damaged car, but I do wonder if maybe she had been on her phone at the time and if she does live nearby and is in the habit of using that road a lot and using her phone while driving then she is a major hazard to other road users.

If I did make a report what would it entail exactly? Could I do it anonymously even with the minuscule amount of details about her car and her that I have? I'm worried I could be opening a can of worms for myself, that they would give out to me and say I should've rang at the scene or spoke to them sooner. It happened Friday at approximately half 12. I haven't been able to eat properly since and every time I was on the brink of sleep last night I jolted awake. I think it would be fair to say I'm a bit of a wreak because of it all. I've never been in this situation before, (and I hope to never again!) so I don't have a clue what to do.

Should I just let it go and try to move on from it? Can anyone advise me on how I can best protect myself and other road users from this reckless girl?

Dublinstiofán

Jesus, too much detail there!

Long story short regardless of what happened you failed to act appropriately and take her details to allow you to report it. You really have no recourse now in my opinion, the Garda are not going to 'keep an eye out for her' on your behalf and you don't even know what car she has and I'm sure they have better things to do.

Pay up yourself as It shouldn't be major and learn a lesson from it. If it happens again act appropriately, take some photos and get details before you leave the scene.

Also if you're on a small country road and you come across this woman (or anybody driving carelessly again) stop your car and let them pass you. If they hit you, you can say you were stationary at the time and none of the fault (in an insurance claim situation) can be blamed on you.

VioletHill

Thanks for reading and for the reply.

I get that I just have to take the loss and pay for the damage myself. I don't want the Gardai to 'keep an eye out for her' for me. I'm worried about the other people using that stretch of road. Should I alert my local Gardai to this because she said she lives near there and it's reasonable to presume she uses that road daily? If we had met me just a short distance down the road at a bend she would've driven into me and put me in the ditch! My question is what would the Gardai's attitude towards me be for talking to them late. Is it worth it to say it to them? Sometimes they are pulled in off the main road at the top of the hill just above where this happened checking people's tax and insurance. If they are made aware of this they might do that maybe?

Dublinstiofán

You can't be responsible for her driving and you have no details to report her so leave it be.

bee06

What are you going to say to the guards? "You should keep an eye out for a woman in an " ... " colour car?" It doesn't give them much to work with.

Little CuChulainn

Take it as a lesson learned and move on with your life. In future, if you are involved in a road traffic act you are entitled to the other drivers name and contact details as well as their registration number and insurance details. If they refuse to hand them over then call the Gardaí and tell them you were in a minor accident and the other driver is refusing to give details. If they have someone available they will send them out. If not, they will advise you to take as many details as you can and report it at the station.

Indricotherium

VioletHill wrote: »

Thanks for reading and for the reply.

I get that I just have to take the loss and pay for the damage myself. I don't want the Gardai to 'keep an eye out for her' for me. I'm worried about the other people using that stretch of road. Should I alert my local Gardai to this because she said she lives near there and it's reasonable to presume she uses that road daily? If we had met me just a short distance down the road at a bend she would've driven into me and put me in the ditch! My question is what would the Gardai's attitude towards me be for talking to them late. Is it worth it to say it to them? Sometimes they are pulled in off the main road at the top of the hill just above where this happened checking people's tax and insurance. If they are made aware of this they might do that maybe?

You are completely spoofing.

You now want to report her because the damage is more expensive to repair than you thought.

When you thought there was no cost to the repair you weren't concerned about her driving or the risk to the public in general.