bumper accidents...

We all know the stress and torture traffic jams can inflict upon us. Anyway, I was in a highway traffic jam earlier today and saw another car bump another car in front of him. Maybe the driver was daydreaming, who knows. Weird thing was the driver who was bumped didnt get out to check if there was damage and just kept on driving but im pretty sure he felt the bump since it looked hard enough. In my 6 yrs of driving, the only accident i had was hit a tree while backing up (lol) so ive never been in that kind of situation.

My question is if someone bumped you like that, though probably not hard enough to cause a dent on your bumper but enough to maybe cause scratches, would u get out of your car and check it out knowing its gonna make the traffic jam even worse? Keep in mind that even if you do, the likelihood of cops coming is slim since ive heard they dont even bother checking it out if there are no physical injuries. Plus if you file an insurance claim, your premium will likely go up even if its not your fault.

I would def get out... who cares if it makes the traffic jam worse. If someone hits me I'm gonna get out to see how bad it is. Even if its just a tiny scratch ill still take down at least the guys license plate just in case at one point in time I do decide to claim it. It would suck if you got home and realized the guy behind you that barely hit you ended up taking your whole bumper off somehow lol.

But i heard you cant file a claim if theres no police report right?

Thats not the way it works in Canada at least.

Edit: I got in an accident I think a year ago it was there was no point in getting police involved but you file a claim anyways. All I did with the other driver was exchange all information: license plate, DL #, insurance numbers on papers etc..

See thats the thing. If its just a minor scratch, I would rather have the guy who bump me just pay me something and settle it between us than file an insurance claim and have my premium go up.

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Originally Posted by DefianceX

See thats the thing. If its just a minor scratch, I would rather have the guy who bump me just pay me something and settle it between us than file an insurance claim and have my premium go up.

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Well here in Canada, your premium will only go up if your at fault for the accident. So if in an accident thats not your fault all you have to pay is your deductible which is $300 by default. So yeah if he wants to pay for the repairs its in his favour so his premiums don't go up.

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Originally Posted by JordoR

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Originally Posted by DefianceX

See thats the thing. If its just a minor scratch, I would rather have the guy who bump me just pay me something and settle it between us than file an insurance claim and have my premium go up.

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Well here in Canada, your premium will only go up if your at fault for the accident. So if in an accident thats not your fault all you have to pay is your deductible which is $300 by default. So yeah if he wants to pay for the repairs its in his favour so his premiums don't go up.

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Exactly. Same here. If it's a "no fault" claim, it should not affect your renewal premium, or your no claims bonus. If it does, you should switch insurers :yes:

What really bugs me is when people tailgate you in traffic while traveling at high speeds (+70mph). When I drive to school, I always make sure I keep a sensible amount of distance between me and the driver in front of me (isn't the rule: 'for every ten, that's one car length'?). Especially when going over an overpass (slopes up/slopes down) where you cannot see most of the drivers in front of you 'til you are at the peak.

I've come close to being hit in the rear because people across the overpass were braking and the people following behind them didn't realize it right away and had to quickly come to a halt or slow. This of course causes the people behind them to do the same. The guy directly behind me did good, but the guy behind him (a pickup truck w/ a trailer attached driving in the fast lane) pulled off to the emergency lane to stop and came up to my back seat. He did good as well, but wtf was he doing there in the first place. :dry:

I've never been in a car accident nor have I ever been pulled over. Been driving for a little over a year now. I believe in "filling the gaps" when on the interstate, but I do not drive recklessly as some do. :dry: I like to think I have more common sense than most drivers.

I heard from my history prof. a while ago that my local area is in the top 10 most dangerous places to drive in the U.S. :dabs: I don't doubt it.

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Originally Posted by Hairbautt

I heard from my history prof. a while ago that my local area is in the top 10 most dangerous places to drive in the U.S. :dabs: I don't doubt it.

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Neither do I, if people are driving to school at 70 mph :fear:

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Originally Posted by Barbarossa

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Originally Posted by Hairbautt

I heard from my history prof. a while ago that my local area is in the top 10 most dangerous places to drive in the U.S. :dabs: I don't doubt it.

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Neither do I, if people are driving to school at 70 mph :fear:

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Interstate/highway travel. 70 is the Speed Limit, but I'd say the average speed for the fast lane--that is the far left lane--is probably 80mph.

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Originally Posted by DefianceX

But i heard you cant file a claim if theres no police report right?

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You can still file a claim with your insurance company, even if there is no police report. Depending on the State that you live in, there is a period of time that you have to file it in. You have to evaluate if it is worth it though. If you never obtained the other drivers info, so that your insurance company can go after his insurance, then it will most likely go on yours. Since you most likely carry a deductable of no less the $250, and most likely $500 you will end up coming out of pocket for the minor scratch anyways. This is why you might as well just take care of it on your own instead of having it on your insurance record and having to worry about your rates going up after your next fender bender.

Here in the Provence of Quebec, Canada we have what's called a Joint Report. It's a form that we keep in our cars to fill out at small accident where no injury is involved.

http://www.infoinsurance.ca/en/automobile/report.aspx

I have seen similar reports in Europe.

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Originally Posted by SHUVT

You can still file a claim with your insurance company, even if there is no police report. Depending on the State that you live in, there is a period of time that you have to file it in. You have to evaluate if it is worth it though. If you never obtained the other drivers info, so that your insurance company can go after his insurance, then it will most likely go on yours. Since you most likely carry a deductable of no less the $250, and most likely $500 you will end up coming out of pocket for the minor scratch anyways. This is why you might as well just take care of it on your own instead of having it on your insurance record and having to worry about your rates going up after your next fender bender.

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So even the most minor of scratches as in my original question, you would still get the other driver's info and maybe settle it with him and make him pay for it? Sometimes even a bump doesnt even cause a visible scatch while you're there in the middle of the highway. What then? I mean how can u ask someone to pay for it if theres no visible damage but at the same time u feel rotten just letting him/her get away with it.

I think it is up to the person and in the end what your time is worth. For me, I would give the assclown the stinkeye, middle finger and probably a few choice words. In the end my time would be worth way more than dealing with all the shit in the middle of the freeway and calling insurance companies and trying to get a $50 buff and polish done to my rear bumper. Then again i am not driving a mercedes or $80,000 car. If that was the case... well lets just say you would not want to be the bloke who was daydreaming and bumped into me.