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stehaggan

Hit by an uninsured driver?

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Has anyone ever been hit by an uninsured driver?

 

well ive just been to my allotment and coming home, driving past a parked car, heard a wheel spin and he just pulled into the side of us. Big scratches and dents all down one side.

 

He said it was his fault and it was his brothers car and didn't want it to go through insurance and he would pay for it all cash does this all sound right or am i going to come unstuck?

 

I got his name and address, went to his house and even took a letter with his name and address on. Now what do i do? ring round for quotes and then get him to give me the money for it before i have the work done?

 

I've never had a crash before so not entirely sure in this situation, and on a lighter note its my birthday today lol - rotten luck or what :roll:

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Rotten luck but glad that you were not hurt! If you were to go through your insurance you would have to pay your excess unless you had also taken out legal insurance or excess protection.

 

I once was hit by an insured driver who didnt want to go through his insurance. He asked me to take the car to the garage and let him know how much it would cost to repair and he gave me the money to repair it.

 

It is totally up to you what you choose to do but if you do decide to let him pay for the damage make sure you write it all down, get him to sign it and get a witness to sign it aswell.

 

Good luck and I hope your not too upset as it can be a really horrid experience when you have a crash xx

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Oh no! Not great news :( Happy birthday though! :D

 

Cash is ok however you have no come back. For example if he doesn't pay up, the amount he pays doesn't end up fully covering the repair costs etc etc. Going through insurance companies, although sometimes a bit of a hassle should offer you a greater level of assurance that you will be looked after.....however, if he is uninsured, well.....seek advice as has been suggested as I don't know what this means for you / your insurance :? Uninsured drivers ought to be reported, however if it is a case of cash for repairs or covering the cost yourself then I guess it is up to you.... I have no real experience with this.

 

Happy birthday again! I hope the rest of your day was ok?

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I was hit a few years ago. the guy wanted to pay cash so I took his details including Reg and to be fair he payed up. I know its against the law but I dont have a problem with uninsured drivers if they are prepared to face the music and pay up!

 

anyway not only did he pay cash upfront upon reciept of 2 quote but the garage actually charged me £100 less in the end! :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: did I pay it back? :roll::roll: maybe not!

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I was hit a few years ago. the guy wanted to pay cash so I took his details including Reg and to be fair he payed up. I know its against the law but I dont have a problem with uninsured drivers if they are prepared to face the music and pay up!

 

anyway not only did he pay cash upfront upon reciept of 2 quote but the garage actually charged me £100 less in the end! :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: did I pay it back? :roll::roll: maybe not!

 

Surely, sometimes people offer to pay without involving the insurance companies to avoid the huge excess they would have to pay if they are a young driver, and increased premiums in a later year - it doesn't necessarily mean that they are uninsured. My understanding is that in any event you should report the incident to your own insurance company, but stress that you are not making a claim.

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Don't the police normally get involved in these circumstances. Only ever had one bump. That was in my Triumph Spitfire. I managed to write off a Catholic priests Nissan Primera! :shock: ( it is true, I am not lying). My beautiful Spitfire didn't have much wrong with it, just a bit of paintwork job. We were both fully comp - so no probs there.

If I'd had a bump with an uninsured driver I would have rang the police there & then I think. No one gets away with stuff with me. If I have to pay car insurance - then so should everyone else!

There - had my rant now! :lol:

At least you are not hurt! However, I'd be wary of this driver bluffing his way out of paying & getting into trouble.

 

Emma.x

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I had my rear lights smashed in a car park by a car that hit mine. The driver left me a note on my windscreen with his phone number. I called and he was ever so apologetic but didn't want to claim on his insurance and potentially lose his no claims bonus. He told me to let him know how much it'd cost to fix and he'd pop a cheque through my door. He was as good as gold, didn't quibble about the price and coughed up promptly. As yours sounds like a bigger job I'd get your garage to provide a written estimate of all the work that'll need to be done, show it to your chap who hit you and get the cash first.

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I was hit by an uninsured driver a few years ago, my daughter was 3 months old and I was very upset. He was very apologetic and wanted to take me to a garage and get it fixed, I ummed and erred. He phoned his wife who turned up and said that we should go through the insurance company, they gave me all their details including their address. I put the claim in and they didnt have insurance, they gave me a fake address. I cant remember exactly what happened but I do remember lots of letters from solicitors (which I have still got) looking through them I had to provide a receipt for the excess on my insurance and I had to provide an invoice for the work carried out on the car. There is also a letter saying about when they get everything they will discuss with me whether I want to take the claim to court. That is the last letter I have and cant remember what happened (it was 7 years ago). I know that I didnt personally go to court but whether they did it on my behalf I really dont know.

It is up to you but I personally would contact the insurance company for advice. It would also depend on what type of insurace you have and whether you have legal cover.

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Hi there. You say uninsured driver? Are you sure? two reasons. Firstly, several years ago I had a minor skirmish with another driver, did not want to damage my no claims and offered to pay cash..and did I hasten to add. I asked for the garage quote and duly paid. I tend to think we pay more when it is an insurance claim as they only let you use 'certain' garages etc and everyone is in it to make a buck or too at our expense. Secondly, hubby is a magistrate and the standard penalty for driving without insurance is.....6-8 pts on your licence plus a fine which is dependent upon salary etc so a minimum of £180 upwards. So, whilst I understand a sympathetic approach to the uninsured up to a point- insurance for young people is astronomical as many of us on here know, you perhaps have some bargaining collateral here if you want it. He pays up as he has offered or you will report it to insurance and police. As I originally said- he could well be legit- I know I was.

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Definitely contact your insurance company. If you don't report an accident to your insurance company, even if it isn't your fault, then your insurance becomes automatically invalid. Then if you have another accident and they find out about the first incident that was settled without recourse to insurance, they will not cover you. You really do need to report everything to them.

 

I would actually report the incident for another reason. That driver may be uninsured - but he may well be unlicensed too, or banned. Uninsured drivers put up premiums for everybody. They cause proportionally many more accidents than insured ones. I would think how I would feel if a few days later he kills or injures somebody. If he is uninsured, and particularly if he is unlicensed, then something needs to be done about it.

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Tricky

 

If you report him he will get charged and you probably wont see any money

 

If you dont you have a chance of getting your car repair paid for but he stays unpunished

 

I guess it depends on whether the repair bill outstrips your moral outrage!

 

I was hit by an uninsured driver 5 years ago, I was stationary and he hit me at 70 miles an hour - his car went clean underneath mine :(

 

The chap was a smart looking guy with a nice car but I couldnt get his insurance info out of him - as someone said above he was hiding more too - the car had no tax and wasnt even his - I phoned the police and they carted him off

 

My car cost £5000 to repair and I have no feeling in two of my fingers, the car repair was met by my company (as it was a company car) who failed to recoup a penny from the guy, I got a small amount of compensation from the Motor Insurers Bureau who on a case by case basis may decide to pay out claims where the damage was caused by an uninsured driver - this group is paid for by the various insurance companies (or indirectly by you policy holders)

 

to add insult to injury my car was pushed in to the one in front and that driver sucessfully sued me for compensation for whiplash :(

 

A horrible experience all round but I hope the guy who caused it all was punished

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Glad you are ok, but what a rotten thing to happen on your birthday and with the extra stress of the insurance problem too - it isn't your problem though really, it's his and while I sympathise with his situation, your insurance co is much better placed to deal with it, unless it is only a £50 quid paint job or something very minor.

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I would actually report the incident for another reason. That driver may be uninsured - but he may well be unlicensed too, or banned. Uninsured drivers put up premiums for everybody. They cause proportionally many more accidents than insured ones. I would think how I would feel if a few days later he kills or injures somebody. If he is uninsured, and particularly if he is unlicensed, then something needs to be done about it.

 

I totally second Docsquid's comments. Third party insurance is the legal minimum in this country. If he can't afford that, how can he afford to pay for repairs? Why not just get the insurance?

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I hit a car many years ago (25+). I was a young driver and didn't want to go through the insurance. I took the others drivers details and paid him the cash. Not sure if I would do the sample now.

I would contact insurance company and police.

Sage

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I'm sure I just posted on this thread, but can't see it now!

Anyhow, several years ago I went into the back of someone soon after passing test. My car had one of those "free" insurance deals, with a very high excess: the damage came to about £50 more than the excess, so I just paid in cash to help re: no claims. It was about £500, so not a small amount.

Do you KNOW he is uninsured? If so I would definitely report it as if an uninsured driver seriously injures or maims someone they will not be able to afford to pay compensation: there's no excuse for driving without insurance IMO.

 

Either way, check your poliocy details and if you need to report it to your insurers then do so straightaway. Otherwise I would give him the chance to do the right thing and pay without claiming on his insurance.

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Happy birthday

I would let yout insurance company know but tell them you don't want to make a claim. if you are sure the person who hit you will pay up. i can understand why some drivers don't pay insurance but that doesn't make it right they just push up premiums for the rest of us. I've just paid £3000 for my sons insurance, he is paying me back though.

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My sister was hit by an unisured motorcyclists outside my house. We were all in bed when we heard the smash apparently he was speeding, hit the speed bump came off his bike and it was my sisters car that took the impact of the bike. He was adament that we didn't phone for the ambulance as he was ok. They swapped insurance details and his friend who owned a garage was coming to pick the car up and have it fixed the next day and he was going to pay for it as we were going on holiday that night. Something wasn't right so OH followed the lad home and knocked on the door, no-one answered, neighbour came out and said the lad hadn't lived there for weeks! We phoned the police and they said under no circumstance let his friend take the car as she would be liable for payment as it was highly unlikely that he would pay. They had an idea who he was but had had trouble tracing him in the past. Her insurance ended up paying for it and to this day the police have never found the lad.

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