Car Was Hit While Parked by Car Reversing with Towbar

A bystander left a note in my door otherwise I wouldn't have even checked my dash cam. It is quite clear that the mother and teenage kids got out of their vehicle to check the damage and then just left. Just cracked the clear plastic that holds numberplate, I haven't checked behind the numberplate as it requires screws but the numberplate does not appear to be dented.
would you do anything about it? I am kinda pissed that they didn't even leave a note.

edit: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MmjtSTzIzVh0gtrlBRvT0dxXU4…

Poll Options

  • 78
    Yes, I'd take the footage to the police for a "hit and run"
  • 20
    No, Merry X'mas

Comments

  • Do you have the rego of the other vehicle?

    • +3

      yes its clear in the dash cam footage

  • +3

    If you have the other car's rego, take it to the police. Screw them.

    • +3

      ..over a cracked numberplate protector?

      • +14

        It's the fact they drove off.

      • +3

        Yeah. If they were decent people, they would have left a contact details. You call them and they say I'll buy you a new protector.

        But you want to be an a-hole, I will put effort into ruining your day.

        Besides, you don't know if there is any other unseen damage.

        • +2

          Maybe they looked and saw fukk all damage so thought details didn’t need to be provided.

          • +4

            @Tee Rex Arms: Just because you can't see damage, doesn't mean it isn't there. You would be surprised what a plastic bumper can absorb. I personally have been rear-ended, hard enough that my car was moved forward a metre. Bumper looked like it need a few small cracks patched up and a new paint job. But the beaver panel underneath it needed replacing, boot lid was out of whack, and the boot pan had some ripples in it.

            Also, if you had believed there was bugger all damage, what do you have to lose by leaving your number?

            • +2

              @AdosHouse: Except a towball has a very small surface area when making an impact. Two bumpers against each other, relatively speaking would have 4-500 times the surface area. Without even a dent from something like a towball means extremely little force was transferred, if it couldn't even dent the 2-3mm sheet of aluminium (which is very soft) would mean there was very little impact…

              Also just FYI your car being moved a meter in the crash means it wasn't a small impact.

              • @Sira: I'm not sure where the towball came into it. But when I was rear-ended the other car, a crappy little Kia compact only had a 1-2m run up (she thought I was going into the roundabout, I wasn't), and it was full bumper to bumper. Actually I did have a towball on, and it went straight through her radiator. The car moving forward means she only had to override my brakes force, which isn't that hard.

                Anyway my whole point wasn't about the damage to OP's car, it is the point that she didn't even have the courtesy to leave a contact number. If she did, I wouldn't be in the "hand it to the police" category.

                It was said before, well if she leaves a contact number someone may take advantage of her and try and claim some old damage. Well too bad, learn to reverse without hitting other cars, and it won't be an issue.

                • +2

                  @AdosHouse:

                  Anyway my whole point wasn't about the damage to OP's car

                  It sorta is the whole point.

                  If there is no damage then there is no requirement to leave details. A hairline crack in a numberplate protector is borderline "who cares".

                  Contacting the cops over a $5 numberplate protector that has a "crack"? Sounds like a poor use of police resources and OP's time.

    • -1

      Police don’t care.

      • The majority of Police do care. I know many.

      • Mine at keilor down don't care. They said no one was injured.

  • +10

    I'm sorry but if the clear plastic on a number plate protector is all that is broken they could have quite easily mistaken this for no damage having been done at all. What if they leave their contact details? Some opportunistic 'victim' claims that some old dent they had never noticed was now caused by these 'offenders' and want $600 for a new bumper?

    Come on people, move on. The number plate isn't even dented… Our collective wasted time on responding isn't worth the $5 in cracked plastic from a free dealership number plate protector.

    • +1

      It's the principle. If they cracked the bumped or caused damage they probably would have driven off.

    • -1

      @Sira - that is nice and fine until it happens to you.

      A person with integrity would have left their number AND if the person with the broken number plate wanted to a new plate, then go for it.

      $5 is not $5 when it comes to honesty.

  • +5

    Photos, MS Paint diagram and dashcam footage will be required for a fair assessment.

    • +1

      I concur. Sounds like making a mountain out of a molehill to me.

  • Dashcam Australia?

  • +2

    Sounds like essentially no damage. Check behind the licence plate and if it’s all good I wouldn’t bother doing anything.

  • +1

    Bikies.

    • Nah bikes don't have towbars so it couldn't have been them.

  • I am kinda pissed that they didn't even leave a note.

    Like you would have left a note.

  • Off to the po-po you go. (profanity) 'em!

  • +1

    This actually happened to me a few weeks back, but he didn't drive off because I was there. I had just parked. Still in the car just chilling with friend. Watched the guy in front of me reverse into me and BOOM. I then honked him afterwards. He then moved forwards a bit.

    We both got out of our cars. I was like, "hey man, what the hell, you reversed into me". He had the audacity to say "that honk scared the shit out of me" instead of apologising. Anyway, I checked. Only the number plate was a bit scratched. The plastic behind seemed sturdy so it shouldn't have had any actual damage. I let the guy off.

  • About two years ago, I ran into Cole's for milk. I parked in the nearly empty lot. Literally was in & out of Coles within 5 mins. Come out and someone had pulled alongside my car (in an empty lot!!!) and scraped it along the entire right side. Their white paint was in the scrape.

    WT actual F? No note, nothing. I should have tried going into Coles but didn't because I had an appt.

    Yesterday, went to Kmart. Similar thing- end of day, quick trip. Come out and someone has dented the right rear. I know it just happened because my daughter noticed as she'd only washed the car the day before. Again, no note.

    Rake that woman over the coals, is what I think.

    LEAVE.A.NOTE!!!

    • Yeah, really shouldn't be condoning:
      A: this sort of behaviour (hit and run); and
      B: crappy driving.

  • 100% use your footage. Also, check the damage behind your license plate. I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet, but if you are insured, contact them with the footage and let them do the chasing around for you.

    This happened to me too. My car is lower than most and the tow bar hit the top part of the license plate and the front bumper. I was not fortunate enough to have video footage (no dashcam).

    I got the front bumper repaired for about $500 (love how it always costs this much to fix) - so didn't go through insurance. This also wasn't a full repair. There's a large plastic panel behind the license plate that had cracked. It can't be repaired. The cost for the large piece was rather expensive to replace. You can't see the damage with the license plate affixed - so I decided not to fix it. But there is always the concern that it could further crack later on down the line.

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