I was sitting in my front room on Sunday evening and heard a bang and a car horn going off quickly. I went outside to have a look at what happened and found a nice paint filled scrape down the side of my car.
The car which had hit my car had driven off but luckily I could see them going up the road. I decided to get my keys and drive down the road to see if I could catch them so I could get his reg and maybe his insurance details. I managed to catch them as they were driving very slowly.... He wouldn't stop so I had to get in front of him after he appeared to pull over again.
We both got out of our cars and he started walking towards me with one hand behind his back. I asked if he had insurance to which he replied "Yes, what are you doing here? Get back in your car before you know what's good for you". Ok, that doesn't actually make any sense. I guess he was drunk. I did think about twatting him but then I'd be in a completely different situation with regard to the police.
I decided to get back in the car. What else could I do really? It's all very well saying "decked him" but then I'd be in the wrong. And he might be a complete and utter psycho.

I called the police, who took the details and then said I need to go to the Police Station to make another statement. So I spent an hour waiting to been seen at Twickenham Station

The registered owner has insurance, but it looks like they are going to do nothing about the fact he drove off and then threatened me. Obviously I cannot prove he was drunk as he would have needed to be breathalised when he was behind the wheel.

I've spoken to my insurance company and I'm now waiting for them admit liability. I bet he doesn't. He looked like a piece of shit and will probably conduct himself like one.

Will the Police care about the fact he drove off and then refused to give me his details? It didn't really seem like it at the time. Makes me wonder why I bothered. Will probably end up with a brick through my window for my trouble instead.

 

Yes. Leaving the scene of an accident is an offence.

However, if you suspected he was pi55ed, i'd have tw4tted him and claimed self defence.

Copper would side with you

 

I got hit by a drunk driver in Kilburn many moons ago.

Several people sat on him until the Police arrived (there were a lot of onlookers outside a pub, he hit me and 2 other cars causing a lot of damage). He had a few cuts and bruises and a black eye which the police put down to his drunken state and the fact he had trouble standing upright He was well known to them for dring driving, and was already banned.

Not sure if I'd do the same these days though.

I think I'd have called the police at the scene, telling them he was threatening me. Possibly tried to get the keys off him or out of his ignition.

But you lay yourself open to getting thumped back, stabbed or who knows what these days, so I'd say discretion was the better part of valour in most cases, and not being there I couldn't say for sure what I'd do.

Though I do agree, the response from the police seems to be par for the course in London these days from what I've been told by friends

 

with a gun possibly, and racially abusing me

that will get them there pretty quick

 

Or that he was drunk with a child in the car. I've been told a few things since about what I could have done. Too late now though.

 

It is unfortunate that people like this will always behave in his manner. He's big and hard and as such he thinks he is immune from the general rules of the road and society! This will be the same type of person who chased Stookystar (see https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.ph...=621876&st=50) for having the cheek to overtake him, the same type of person who will cut you up, or pull out infront of you at junctions and then threaten you if you dare to complain.

Back when I was a 16 I had a Fizzie which got knocked over by a guy parking up in the town, when I asked him for his details he punched me in the face and drove off, I never did get his details or his reg, just a bill to get my tank repaired, oh and two black eyes into the bargain!

As to the whole debate about getting physical, it's a difficult one. We'd all like to think we could, but to be honest, unless you're used to fighting (and these folk will be) then it's best not to. If you don't know how your going to react in that situation, or if you are any good at fighting, then you could end up getting seriously hurt.

The guy probably had one hand behind his back because he had some kind of weapon, I thinkk that walking away was absolutely the right thing to do!

Hope your car get's sorted out really soon, and it doesn't affect your no claims.

 

 

Sorry to hear about your car .....

Did you ring 999 to report a fail to stop where you believed the driver was drunk ?

If you did the index and type of car together with the time you last saw it and a direction of travel would hve been circulated to all local units in Twickenham and broadcast on the radio channel that covers south London together with the Traffic Division channel. A check would have been done and usually a car will attend the home address to speak to the driver.

Alot will depend on how certain you are that this was the car that hit yours - out in 2 secs to car; only car in whole road driving away from yours, etc, etc + how well you explain you think they were drunk.

Your explanation coupled with the efficiency of the civilian 999 operator makes all the difference to exactly how the call gets handled.

If you did ring 999 then the above would have been done - but you may not have been told .... it is very standard as all officers normally want to stop and arrest drink drivers. Unfortunately, if the civilian operator isn't good then what we would normally do does not always get across to the caller.

The other problem on Sunday is that the local Borough police and Traffic would have been at minimum strength due to the Notting Hill Carnival - I know we were at minimum as I was at work and only had three Traffic cars covering SW London !

The threat bit is not something that in reality would be dealt with - conditional threats; no matter how made are something that unless witnessed are not going to be dealt with later unless a number of things happen - which I am not going to go into here.

Insurance wise - if you can convince an insurance company that this car hit yours .... and I would be very careful how you word anything to them - as they will use your wording against you if not careful - then if insured and your car was unattended then they should pay out. The same applies to the failing to stop at the accident bit to police .... if you are not 100% certain and able to prove satisfactorily that this car is the one that hit yours they will not proceed. All of their evidence will come from you. If they feel it would be obvious the other car was the one that did it then they will prosecute.

Shame if nobody stopped the driver at the time though. All I can say is that - as I said earlier - if circulated people will actively search for him as it may be an easy arrest for drink drive. Nobody wants them to get away .... it's just that searching given a time lapse from the incident is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack.

 

What an awful tale, not surprised the police did nothing.

I don't know what they are there for these days except running speed camera money machines.

I had a tenant in my flat who turned it into a brothel.
Got them out after going to court and when they moved out took a new washing machine, fridge freezer and all the curtains and curtain rails.

Police would no nothing, said it would use too many of their resources to track the woman down

So I tracked her down.

She is now up and running again a mile away.
Told the police and they are still not arsed to do anything. What are they there for?

 

I doubt it .... but that is what they want you to think !

Having said that you just don't know - and do you want to take the risk ?

To be fair, the only time I told someone to prove they did indeed have what they implied they had when they threatened me they did produce it