Kevin Milne - Hit and run | Now to Love

My boyfriend was driving his car when he was rear-ended by another driver. No-one was injured and the damage was fairly minor. The guys exchanged names, addresses and insurance details, then my boyfriend said he wanted to call the cops. The other driver claimed he had an appointment and drove off. Can he do this?

Yes, as long as there wasn’t any injury or major vehicle damage. The only time you must wait for police to attend is when there has been a significant injury or traffic is being obstructed. As there was neither in your case, the other driver has fulfilled all his obligations by leaving your boyfriend with his name, address and insurance company.

The only other issue you are both bound to deal with is if there was damage to a third party’s property, such as a fence or parked car. If so, you must report the damage to the owner or the police.

I imagine your boyfriend was concerned about insurance, and that the other driver might lie about the circumstances of the crash. Understandable, but if that happens, you will have to rely on the expertise of your insurance investigators to establish the truth. That’s why it’s important to grab a contact number from any objective witnesses to the accident.