Someone scratched kids car and I know they won’t pay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait you cannot afford $800 in repairs...yet you can afford a car and insurance for you child to drive? Something is not adding up.

We can afford to repair the car but why should we? Not our fault. The other driver for sure won’t have that kind of money

Then what exactly do you think you will accomplish by this? Call insurance to report and YOUR rate goes up, likely more than what they pay out. Because your kid will be marked at fault. Contacting kid will get you nowhere. Except possibly a bigger problem with insurance, or even failing to report an accident. You can't make that kid do what you want. Period. So take a couple of days to calm down & let it go.

[Anonymous]

Growing up my parents were always saying you never report car damage because the rates will go up, and so you just negotiate directly with the other party or pay cash for minor stuff.

I’m not sure that’s true. I had a minor accident that was my fault (rear end at slow speed) and the other people had minor bumper damage. I felt sure my rates would go up. Nope! Not at all.

I don’t think insurance companies want to raise your rates after an accident unless they have to, because they know that’s likely to prompt you to shop around. If they really jack up your rates, it’s because they’ve changed their assessment of your overall risk. They’re not trying to claw back the repair costs. What you’ve described probably doesn’t change your risk profile at all. And I doubt they’d spend time/money going after the other kid anyway.

So, I would just file a claim and let your insurance deal with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK - so now we can drive without insurance? or it only applies to people with something to lose.

people really suck.

This happened to me. I was hit at my kids school by another parent. They didn’t have insurance. I had to go through my insurance and pay a deductible to get the car fixed. The other parent offered to pay but then ghosted me when the time came. Super annoying.

[Anonymous]

This is why you have (abd pay for) insurance.

You let the insurance company deal with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why you have (abd pay for) insurance.

You let the insurance company deal with it.

Or, like the other driver, don't carry insurance and ghost the other driver.

[Anonymous]

Police. Then insurance.

[Anonymous]

So if a driver doesn’t have insurance and they cause an accident, what happens to them? What is there punishment?
My brothers car was hit by uninsured driver. Brother had to pay for his repair since deductible was more than repair. Nothing happened to the at fault driver. Why not? I guess my brother could have sued but if they have no $$ then what is the point? And why is at fault driver still allowed to drive? Why isn’t their car taken away or something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK - so now we can drive without insurance? or it only applies to people with something to lose.

people really suck.

Just because this kid’s insurance card was expired doesn’t mean the car isn’t insured. I’m sure there’s been a couple six-month periods in my 30+ years of driving when I didn’t immediately put the new insurance card in my glove compartment but I’ve never not had insurance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK - so now we can drive without insurance? or it only applies to people with something to lose.

people really suck.

Just because this kid’s insurance card was expired doesn’t mean the car isn’t insured. I’m sure there’s been a couple six-month periods in my 30+ years of driving when I didn’t immediately put the new insurance card in my glove compartment but I’ve never not had insurance.

+1. It's more likely, given the provisional license, but not certain at all. I often don't replace the insurance card in my car, but there's always insurance.

I'm in the camp that wouldn't fix a minor scratch on my own car, though, much less a kid's car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Newsflash, the police won't come unless someone is injured, so even calling the police wouldn't get you anywhere. Your kid did the right thing, call your insurance company and let them handle this - it's what you pay them for

The kid smelled pot. If the driver was DUI then that’s yet another crime. And yes, unless you live in a major slum, police will come to an accident with vehicle damage where multiple laws were broken.

[Anonymous]

I don’t get you furious and punitive people. Do you want validation that you and yours are tormented victims and the young perpetrator is the worse human being on the planet?!?

Here it is: hands over validation in triplicate with victimhood trophy.

Now move on.

I can’t believe you’re old enough to have a child who drives yet you cannot emotionally process such a minor event in your life! My car was all banged up by a hit-and-run driver who fled the scene, and I didn’t agonize like you. Such is life. Save your feelings for something actually serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if a driver doesn’t have insurance and they cause an accident, what happens to them? What is there punishment?
My brothers car was hit by uninsured driver. Brother had to pay for his repair since deductible was more than repair. Nothing happened to the at fault driver. Why not? I guess my brother could have sued but if they have no $$ then what is the point? And why is at fault driver still allowed to drive? Why isn’t their car taken away or something?

As a Risk Manager in the transportation industry who deals with this daily, the answer is absolutely nothing happens to people who don’t have insurance. No one will sue them because there’s not going to be a recovery.

As to what to do, first figure out your deductible. Many carry deductibles that exceed $800. If it’s possible to get a recovery, then you should consider if it’s possible to find fault with the driver. If so, the cost for using insurance will definitely exceed $800 - probably your annual insurance premium will increase more than $800 and remain At that high level for 3 years.

I get wanting to get the car fixed. Personally I might not but my spouse would have it in the shop the next day.

All in all, to me it sounds like this is just a cost of having a kid who drives and your best bet is to just pay the bill to fix it.

[Anonymous]

Theoretically your insurance company could sue the uninsured driver. In real life they will probably write the $800 off as a rounding error. If you wanted the other kid held criminally responsible you should have called 911 at the scene. No one is getting a DUI because a teenager said they smelled pot.

In terms of what I would do: I would leave my car scratched/dented. It's cosmetic and I have nothing to prove to the neighbors 😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Kid stopped at light. Car behind them tried to move into next lane and hit my kids car.
Turns out the person is young and on a provisional license (no adult with him), did not have plates in their car and has expired insurance card.
My kid is young too and although they took photos of kids license car and insurance, they were shook up and missed all these details. Cops not called as damage is minor but it will cost $800 to repair.
Looked up kids address and house is tiny in a much lower income part of the county.
I will send the estimate to them but not holding my breath. My kid is nervous because the other driver has our info too and fears retaliation due to these details. My kid smelled pot but didn’t know if driver was under influence. So now what? We can afford repair but it infuriates me that we have to eat this cost and the other driver has broken 3 laws. We don’t want them to get in trouble but don’t want them to get away with it if that makes sense. Would hate to call the cops on them because maybe they will retaliate.
We have dash cam but I haven’t had a chance to pull the video yet.
What would you do?

Your child is right to be concerned for their safety and yours. These type of people are typically not intelligent and have poor impulse control and poor decision making skills, so they are exactly the type of people who will do things like show up at your home and damage your property or physically accost or assault you.

Without even knowing any further details, I’m going to guess that the boy who caused this damage was probably from up-county, probably Clarksburg, in a pick up truck, probably festooned with trump bumper stickers and an american flag or confederate flag, and is generally regarded as typical poor white trash.

I’ve heard about these type of people. These people are scary. Do not have any contact with them.

[Anonymous]

If your kid is on your policy for a lousy $800 Bucks you are risking a big increase on your policy if this goes sideways.

Ask them to pay. If they don’t that’s that