UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

(I have a feeling this post is going to be longer than one of tahrey's!!)

Yup.

Hit someone up the arse.

First I'll give you the damage (no pics yet... Going to Bug Jam in the morning, so won't be online til next week.).

Headlight, and slam panel look pretty toast. The headlamp protector did a really s**t job against the rear bumper of the Escort. Bumper seems to be unscathed, as does the bonnet, but the indicator has been pushed back into the wing around 4 inches. The wing too is bent at the front, and the bumper mount on the car is all bent. I think I got away with keeping the grill in one piece though..... phew..

So what happened? I had been following an Escort Estate for about half a mile along a residential road that has only one bend (with a stupid mini-roundabout on it) and the second half of the road is just wide enough for two cars to pass each other, with parked cars down all the way along on oneside.

As I followed the escort, it mounted the pavement going round the roundabout with quite spectacular style as the kerb must be 8 inches high, if not higher!! Then after this I didnt really pay much attention as I was talking to one of Josh's mates on the phone about going to Bug Jam!! I know that I was keeping my distance, and we were travelling at around 20 - 25mph. It wasn't until the end of the road where there is a 7ft width restriction, that the bad driving came to my attention again. With a little left-right shimmy and a stamp on the brake, the escort bumped up onto the kerb edge as it went through the posts! At this point there is another mini-roundabout that leads straight onto a proper size roundabout. As I follow the escort across the first one, I hang up and put the phone on my lap, and I'm looking right, and there is nothing on the road, not even going in the other direction. The Escort approaches the roundabout hesitates, accelerates, then brakes HARD. I lock up, and from about 10mph skid into the back of it.

This small woman of about 55 gets out, and starts having a go at me. I got out and just shouted at her. By now I have quite a few spectators from the pub opposite! She asked me for my insurance details, so I told her all I had to give was my reg, and told her to f off. When she asked me for a pen, I told her to get her own f'in pen, and turned round to ask Maria (who had been following me the whole time in her Ibiza) for a pen, when I turned back again, the Escort was gone and making a hasty exit up the road!! I tried to catch, but as I watched her going when I was standing out side, she turned up a road that has speed humps... She was long gone by the time I tried to chase, and my car is useless over speed humps, especially when full of camping gear, and a roof box jammed with stuff too.

During my rant at her apparently I shouted "do you know what you've done????" heheheh.. I also accused her of being drunk and not being able to drive, and it wasn't long after this that she took off.

The Escort was a maroon L reg estate, that I think had the reg L281 ???. I didnt report it to the police, as I personally dont think I should have to. The accident was my fault (always is when you hit someone in the back) and I stopped. She's the one that took off!! b*******s to her.

I'm so pissed off. I have to try and get the car fixed by Wednesday as I am going to VW Mania in Belgium next Thursday. I'm not getting my hopes up.

I've had enough. Sorry for the long post.

Ouch

She must've been drunk then if she took off surely?

Doesn't sound like the damage is too bad luckily, s**t timing though.

Gutted to hear this mate!

I'm pretty sure (from reading pistonheads ) that in this sort of situation, you *really should* to report it to the Police within 24 hours.

This is basically to protect you should she turn up at a Police station claiming that you were the one to drive off. If I was you, I'd report it anyway. Take your documents with you though, to save the hassle of getting a producer.

Deek.

1. you were not trying anywhere near hard enough to make that long enough to beat me

2. Get it reported pronto but DO NOT mention anything about the phone call to the authorities, or they might have you for that - or even assume you were on the phone when you hit her thereby making you at-fault. Even if you claim it was hands free. If you want to use this thread as some kind of sketchy evidence e.g. showing them the timestamp on it or whatever, i reccomend you edit your original one pronto (and then pm me so i can erase this section ) .... hopefully such activity won't affect things.

3. GET WITNESSES. Not just Maria, but see if anyone from the pub saw anything. Even better if the cops will ask about for it, but for a front end shunt on a couple of "cheap" old cars, they wont bother. After all who cares if that lady was half blind and drunk off her face - they've got dangerous speeders to catch on the motorway at that hour.... They could maybe also help you fill out the rest of the plate... there's probably at least one sad old semi-autistic loner goes drowns his sorrows in there and has a photographic memory when it comes to alphanumerics

4. Hunt around the area for any sorry-looking escorts matching that reg! She probably wasnt going far - on her way home from the pub probably, thinking she didnt stand a chance of harming anyone as she's done that short, slow route a hundred times before while utterly wasted..

5. pics are good, even after the fact.... (not for us! for insurance etc..) for this reason i always carry some kind of camera in the car now... even the crappiest single-use flash will light up a numberplate like a floodlamp after all, and you can get quick pics of various important parts of the scene, the other driver (if you're sneaky), mileage & time with the view out the windscreen (in a prang like yours) in the same shot etc. better to use a single-use than a digital apparently... digital isnt acceptable as evidence IIRC because its so much easier to convincingly alter than film. plus its easier for them to erase/destroy the memory card... those single use cameras are tough as nails!

Go get 'er, man! You put a lot of work into that car and it's worth protecting from f*ckwits! Women have less accidents my ass.... they merely get less at-fault judgements thru slyness!
(apologies to halfpint et al, but i do fear there's a bit of truth behind the bitterness)

It may have been you hit her, but that's a minor incident that can be settled outside of the law - leaving the scene of an accident is a bona fide criminal offense....
(it's always your fault if you hit someone from behind? what if they pop out from nowhere when you're doing 55 down an otherwise clear and straight A-road, they dont give it any juice, and have straightened out by the time you screech into them? i'd be well pissed off to be found at fault for that! try fighting it! too bad its too late to get a breath test etc - call the rozzers immediately next time )

Sure hope someone passes the message on (and gets you net access?) at Bug Jam, so you dont face possible criminal proceedings when you get back...

Ouch.. that really sucks. I really would report it to the police asap though, if only to clear yourself from any charges of not reporting an accident etc...

I think I'm going to get myself a disposable camera to keep in the car, really does sound like a pretty good idea..

That sounds pretty bad, I haven't read all of what happened in your post, (haven't got a lot of time) but I am a Motor Insurance Underwriter, and if you want any advice mate, I'll help you out.

I agree with everyon else though, if you haven't reported it to the Police, I would, infact I would say it's imperative. I hope you get it sorted out!

oh s*** mate. gutted to hear about this

i vote all uk-polo members convoy to near where the accident happened and comb the area

where was it again?

well its probably 24 hours for reporting it, but if you get there first and within 7 days they might choose to overlook that.... we hope.

i'll ask the police station that as an aside, when i phone them up to inquire over the actual letter of the law and their policy on applying it to their patrols. b*stards still havent responded on email.... so much for getting back to me within 48 hours!

Tahrey1043 wrote:where was it again?

well its probably 24 hours for reporting it, but if you get there first and within 7 days they might choose to overlook that.... we hope.

i'll ask the police station that as an aside, when i phone them up to inquire over the actual letter of the law and their policy on applying it to their patrols. b*stards still havent responded on email.... so much for getting back to me within 48 hours!

You gotta do it within 24 hours otherwise ur screwed. I was the victim of an accident, the guy who hit me had no insurance and because I didnt report it within 24 hours it looks like the *insert naughty sensord by uk-polos word here* will get away with it scott free. i'll still get some money tho, Only just had the engineer come and look now, 8 months later.

sorry to hear the band news mate1 hope ya get it all sorted! shame bout those headlight protectors! lucky about the grill mind! bet ur gutted!

all in favour of a uk-polos convoy/protest!

yeah find out where they live and we can sort out some kind of rally with signs and everything

Oh man. That blows bigtime...

You've earned yourself a big manly comforting hug this Sunday at Mania.

got any pics yet mate?

it just looks naked without the roofrack and p'slots...

Ouchie