Returning to your parked vehicle only to find a new dent or a smashed wing mirror is frustrating, and thousands of UK motorists face it every year. While your first reaction might be anger or panic, calm and deliberate steps will help you resolve it without unnecessary stress. Here’s how to handle it.
First Steps to Take at the Scene
You need to gather as much information as possible right away. First, check your windscreen to see if the other motorist left a note with their name, contact number, and insurance details. If they did, take a photograph of the note immediately because paper can easily blow away or get ruined by rain.
Next, look around the immediate area for any witnesses who might have seen the incident happen. If anyone is nearby, ask for their contact details and find out if they managed to write down the number plate of the other vehicle. You should also check nearby houses or shops to see if their security cameras caught the collision. If you have a dashcam installed that operates in parking mode, download the footage to your phone before it gets overwritten.
Options When the Other Driver Is Identified
If the driver left their details or a witness caught their registration number, you’re in a much stronger position. Most people assume they must call their own insurance company immediately, but this can sometimes work against you. Even if you’re completely blameless, reporting an incident to your insurer can cause your premiums to rise at your next renewal, and you might have to pay your excess upfront while they investigate.
You can choose to use an independent non-fault accident management service instead of your own insurance provider. These specialists handle the entire process on your behalf and deal directly with the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
They’ll arrange for your vehicle to be repaired at an approved garage and provide you with a replacement hire car, meaning you don’t have to pay any policy excess. If you were sitting in the car when the impact happened and picked up a neck or shoulder injury, you can even claim for whiplash compensation through them without touching your own policy. All the costs are recovered from the at-fault driver’s insurer, so your no-claims bonus stays intact.
What to Do If the Driver Flees the Scene
Unfortunately, many motorists hit a stationary vehicle and drive away without leaving any details. If you return to your vehicle and find damage but no note, the incident becomes a hit-and-run, which is a serious criminal offence under UK law. You must act quickly to give the authorities the best chance of finding the person responsible.
You should report the incident to the police as soon as you can, ideally straight away, and get a crime reference number. You can do this by calling the police on 101 or by visiting your local police station in person. That crime reference number matters most if you later need to claim through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, as they’ll check that you reported it.
Claims Through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau
When a driver cannot be traced, or if the police find them but discover they don’t have valid insurance, you can still seek help. The Motor Insurers’ Bureau is an organisation set up in the UK to compensate victims of uninsured and untraced drivers.
The rules differ depending on the situation. If the driver is traced but turns out to have no insurance, the MIB can cover your repair costs and any personal injury much like a standard insurer would, with no property damage excess to pay.
There’s a catch for hit-and-run cases, though. When the driver who hit you is never traced, the MIB will only pay out for damage to your car if someone was also seriously injured in the same accident. Where the claim qualifies, the MIB applies a £400 excess to the property damage element.
For a typical knock to a parked car with no injury, the MIB won’t cover your repair bill, so you’ll usually need to claim on your own comprehensive insurance instead. Where injury is involved, you submit a claim through the MIB’s online form with your crime reference number, photos of the damage and any witness details, and they investigate before deciding on an award.
Your Next Steps After a Parking Knock
Dealing with a damaged vehicle is never pleasing, but knowing your rights makes the recovery process much easier. If the other driver is known, using an independent specialist keeps your insurance costs low and removes the burden of dealing with insurers.
If the driver is unknown, the police and your own comprehensive cover are usually your route back to a repaired car, with the MIB acting as a safety net mainly where injury is involved.