i was hit by a ltuon box van last week who failed to stop. called 999, they would not intercept but said they 'would write' to the registered keeper and ask him who was driving - whats the point??
2007-07-14 12:04:34 · 13 answers · asked by thegirlthemyth 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
to add: we were in london, heavy traffic, 4-6 mph. i was behind the vehicle for the next 40 mins whilst in comms with the police. and yes, the driver did know, i stopped after he hit me, he pulled infront of me, he was looking in his mirror, i flashed & signalled him to stop & he gave me the 'v' sign. Nice bloke. it was a company hire car thats why i'm so bothered as it reflects badly on me at work and is ages before it is sorted
2007-07-14 21:55:30 · update #1
Apparently, that is the way they handle hit,and run accidents. Notify your insurance. Seems like a very slow process to me.
2007-07-14 12:22:24 · answer #1 · answered by CGIV76 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The chances of catching him at the time are very slim.
Firstly, you dial 999 and inform control regarding the vehicle. An "observations" mssage is passed out to all local and neighbouring areas to look out for the vehicle. A marker is then put on the vehicle's PNC record to stop/check and verify the owner/driver.
No point sending officers out to catch it for a few reasons. Firstly, you won't have rung the police immediately, i'm assuming you came to a stop, got control of what was happening then rung. So let's assume 2 minutes have passed. You then have to pass the details, which will take another couple of minutes. These details are then passed on to a despatcher, which could depending how busy it is take upto 5 minutes.
That's 9 minutes which have passed. Assuming the driver of the box van maintains a speed of 60mph and doesn't go faster or slower he could be 9 miles away from the scene before the first police units are informed.
You then have to wait a minute or so for those units to recieved their instructions and start travelling. If those units are 10 miles away, at 80mph it's going to be another 6 minutes or so before they arrive at the van's last confirmed location. The van could be 15 miles away at this point. They then have to try and catch up, which unless the van has remained on the same road the entire time (which is highly unlikely) they won't be able to do.
This is all under the assumption that the box van doesn't know he's hit you, which is possible. If he knows he has hit you and is escaping he will be driving much faster than 60mph. The best chance of catching the driver is to either
1)Have a police unit in "the right place at the right time" which is a very rare occurence
2)Send an officer to the registered keeper's address, and if necessary arrest the owner.
If you can suggest a better way of doing this, short of putting a police car on every single junction in a city, then i'd love to see it ;o)
2007-07-14 12:32:06 · answer #2 · answered by badshotcop 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
As badshotcop said, the chances of catching the driver at the moment is rare. Thats why it is imperative to get the license plate number and call it in. Where I used to work, we didn't even take accident reports if the damage was under $2000. Get any information you can though, and give it all to your insurance comany.
2007-07-14 13:53:26 · answer #3 · answered by Vindicaire 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The owner of the van should be liable unless they can prove someone else was driving. I am from the US and your use of 999 tells me you are not. The law may be different where you are. Actually, under US law, the owners insurance should cover your damages no matter who was driving.
2007-07-14 12:18:27 · answer #4 · answered by STEVEN F 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
oh i feel sorry for you a couple of years ago someone hit my car while it was parked outside my house , my neighbour got his number , he was uninsured and i had to pay £150 pounds excess to get my car repaired , when the police questioned the owner he said he had just sold the car and he wasn't driving , but he was still the registered owner the police said they couldent prove the case so as you say what is the point
2007-07-14 12:28:19 · answer #5 · answered by susanjames26 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is the second time today that the police have been questioned, reguarding there responce of matters that , come under law and order .
What do they think they get paid for
giving tickets to car drivers that go a little faster than they should.
Come on ! start to do your job , we the public whant law and order ,
2007-07-15 10:26:34 · answer #6 · answered by Stephen A 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"i was driving at approx 45 on 60 mph road, i panicked and steered out of skid rather than in it." Even if the council were liable (and they are not) you have just admitted (a) you were going way too fast for the conditions and (b) By "panicking" you most likely are the contributing factor for the accident. You must remember IF it was that bad why were YOU the only one that crashed?
2016-05-17 22:14:45 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good answer Badshotcop, and I'd agree, this is the policy dictated by government for exactly that reason. To cut down any of the timeframe police would have to use a blue light and risk lives. That chance is not deemed acceptable.
2007-07-14 15:29:44 · answer #8 · answered by Bertie 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Would you rather they killed someone in a high speed pursuit. What exactly did you expect, a helicopter? They will catch up with the culprit, as its hardly likely to be stolen.
2007-07-14 12:29:20 · answer #9 · answered by bouncer bobtail 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The driver will get charged with failing to stop after an accident and you will get all your repairs done as he will be found guilty ,good luck
2007-07-14 12:17:36 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋