Four Car Collision - at Fault Driver Gave False Details

Linthedeepblue9 on 21/06/2023 - 19:56
Last edited 22/06/2023 - 10:44 by 1 other user

Hi all, just after some advice. I was involved in a 4 car collision on Sydney Road, Coburg. The driver at fault gave us false details (name, phone number, insurance company), the licence number according to the police is active, and the car is registered to a company which is why the police are unable to verify the driver of the car until further investigations are made.

Is there anything I can do from my side I can do to verify the driver or should I just let the police deal with it?

Additional info: I am covered by third party, car behind me uninsured, car at the back (at fault, can't be located)

Thanks for your help.

Automotive

Comments

  • Pcosmic on 21/06/2023 - 20:03
    +6

    Didn't take a picture of their driver's lisense?

    • mr_fjackson on 21/06/2023 - 20:09
      +3

      maybe cut them some slack? they were in a car crash.

      • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2023 - 20:11
        -2

        Maybe that's why OP hasn't included the status of the mysterious 4th car

      • Pcosmic on 21/06/2023 - 20:47
        +10

        Relax It was just a quesition

      • tsunamisurfer on 21/06/2023 - 21:09
        +1

        Was it wrong to ask? Its not victom blaming.

        It's a pertinent question for which has implication in the magnitude of thousand of dollars. In fact more so in this scenario as the OP only has 3rd Party.

      • EightImmortals on 22/06/2023 - 07:29
        +2

        And the second thing you do if you are in a bingle, after checking that everyone is OK is to get a photo of the other person's license. It was a fair question.

        • Ronniieeee on 22/06/2023 - 09:20
          +7

          Although it's common practice, legally (in Victoria - refer to section 61 of Road Safety Act), you're not obliged to show your driver's licence. You only have to state your name and address, that of the vehicle owner, and the registration number of the vehicle involved.

          It's a bit silly in that there's not much to stop someone quoting a fake name and address.

          I could also imagine someone being reluctant to let someone else photograph their licence or write down the licence number, given the incidence of identity theft.

          One potential method (if someone refuses to show their licence) could be to have the police attend to verify the licence details (I think there's an episode of Highway Patrol where this happened), but I'm not sure if police show up to an accident where there's no bodily injury concerned… The "threat" of calling the police might be enough to oblige someone to show their licence.

          Also, remember to check the back of the licence, as any change of address stickers are affixed to the back (once again, in Victoria).

          • EightImmortals on 22/06/2023 - 09:23
            +1

            @Ronniieeee: Ok cheers, didn't know that. SO I guess it pays to get a pic of their rego plate too just to make it easier for the cops if they do pull a shifty. :)

            • kerfuffle on 22/06/2023 - 09:23
              +2

              @EightImmortals:

              SO I guess it pays to get a pic of their rego plate too just to make it easier for the cops if they do pull a shifty

              You ALWAYS take a photo of the rego plate. Insurance companies require it

              • EightImmortals on 22/06/2023 - 09:24

                @kerfuffle: Didn't know that either. :) Cheers

                • kerfuffle on 22/06/2023 - 09:26
                  +1

                  @EightImmortals: Well, to be clear, they require the registration of the car, not necessarily the photo. But photos do help when you have to submit them

    • lgacb08 on 22/06/2023 - 09:42
      +3

      Legally the other party don't have to show their licence.

  • Protractor on 21/06/2023 - 20:21
    -5

    I may, or may not be, the mystery driver. OP call me

  • vinni9284 on 21/06/2023 - 20:28

    Normally in third party insurance, you're covered up to $5K if you can get the licence plate, name and address off the offending car that is uninsured which is the rear car

  • oscargamer on 21/06/2023 - 20:29

    It's not a hit and run.

    It might be fail to exchange details.

    How did they provide their details?

    And by 'license number' do you mean rego?

    Did you take photos? Of their face? Is there any CCTV from adjacent businesses? Did you get the name of the police officer?

    • Protractor on 21/06/2023 - 20:30
      +4

      You forgot to ask if OP intends to actually respond to contributors

    • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2023 - 20:40
      +4

      It's not a hit and run.

      OP did a post & run

      • Protractor on 21/06/2023 - 20:43

        Biscuits to circle?

        • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2023 - 20:46
          +1

          Probably …. perhaps even some Kettle chippies & a pot of tea before a "Kum ba yah" singalong

  • Protractor on 21/06/2023 - 20:29
    +2

    Gotta love VPNs

    • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2023 - 20:40

      They're the cashback that keeps on giving

      • Protractor on 21/06/2023 - 20:42

        I wonder who was the referee at this fictional true scenario who delivered the 'at fault' designation so profoundly?

        • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2023 - 20:49

          Maybe the as-yet-still-unaccounted-for 4th driver before they did a roadrunner & scrammed. We need a poll as to whether we reckons they are insured or not.

          • Protractor on 21/06/2023 - 20:52
            +1

            @[Deactivated]: Was car 4 Mr Plod?
            Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

            or!!
            Was car 4 actually the OP looking for tactics to evade apprehension. I mean would cops expect to find him hiding beneath the warm cosy clok of Ozbargain Land?
            Should Ozb light the torches of justice and hit the dank streets outside in search of said car 4 evader?

            • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2023 - 20:55

              @Protractor: If only OP had included a dash cam we could have had something to go off.

              • Protractor on 21/06/2023 - 21:37

                @[Deactivated]: Do they sell dash cams in Fantasyland, now?

                • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2023 - 21:40

                  @Protractor: I think so ….. on Fantasy Island, the sequel

  • JimmyF on 21/06/2023 - 20:49
    +2

    Is there anything I can do from my side
    I am covered by third party

    Not really, its not up to you now to find/chase the driver at fault and if and only if they have insurance hope they will lodge a claim for you.

    That said, being they gave you false details, I'm assuming they don't have insurance. So you are kinda out of luck.

    Sure if you find their details you can sue them and take them to court for the repair costs and hope they pay, but at the end of the day, most of those stories for people who don't have insurance to start with don't end well, other than you being out of pocket for the repairs and now court costs.

    This is why full comp insurance is a must, even for cheaper cars. Let the insurance companies deal with it.

    • vinni9284 on 21/06/2023 - 21:03
      -1

      You're covered up to $5K if you get the name address and licence plate of the car with 3rd party cover. If you drive a cheap car ~ $5K and are fully covered, they will pay you market or agreed amount (say $4K - rego - excess) which will equate to around $2.5K. So it's not that lucrative as you think

      • tsunamisurfer on 21/06/2023 - 21:13
        +5

        Most 3rd party policies will not have this facility.

        • vinni9284 on 21/06/2023 - 21:15

          Major insurers have. And they are cheap. Usually $180 per annum

      • JimmyF on 21/06/2023 - 21:25
        +3

        You're covered up to $5K if you get the name address and licence plate of the car with 3rd party cover.

        Only if your 3rd party policy has this…… not all do. So its not as clear cut as that.

        Plus the OP doesn't have the name/address

        • vinni9284 on 21/06/2023 - 21:40

          Correct. I have a $5K sh*tbox with 3rd party cover they has the $5K unisured cover. If my car is demolished in this scenario like the OP, I'm not going to be devastated by losing $2.5K (if i had full comp) by the time they pay me out. I save the offset every year by paying $180 PA rather than full comp $700. It'll pay itself off by 4 years.

          • Euphemistic on 22/06/2023 - 05:50
            +1

            @vinni9284: It’s $5k if uninsured, but not $5k if they just won’t pay.

            • vinni9284 on 22/06/2023 - 06:58

              @Euphemistic: Regardless, the rationale here is that you'll get F all if you were fully insured on a $5K car if you were to claim. With all excess, undervalued car & rego lost in the equation. It's purpose is to cover the other party in case of drivers fault and most importantly to own a car that is not worth much. Plus on a $5K car, you're paying a premium similar to a $40K car on full comp. 80/20 rule. 80% ppl are paying premiums for the other 20% cars that are worth a lot more. Eg 2018 Mazda 3 ~ $1200 full comp. 2018 Mercedes C63S $2 3K 50% more premium for a car that's worth 100 times more

              • Euphemistic on 22/06/2023 - 09:07

                @vinni9284: As long as you are prepared to take the risk TPP is a good option for low value cars. If you can afford to replace your car at short notice or live without a car for a while TPP is just fine.

                If you need your car every day or cannot afford to repair or replace your car you really need to consider comprehensive in the case that some uninsured person or someone who just won’t make an insurance claim damages your car so it can’t be driven.

              • JimmyF on 22/06/2023 - 12:22
                +1

                @vinni9284:

                Plus on a $5K car, you're paying a premium similar to a $40K car on full comp. 80/20 rule

                LOL Might want to check those prices out again.

                In the past on crapboxes I've found full comp to be around $100-150 extra to just 3rd party.

                Honestly for the hassles it saves if something like what happened to the OP happens, it is well worth it.

                Plus there are other cases that full comp covers that the $5k clause doesn't cover, like damage to the car via a drive off, stolen car etc or like what happened to the OP, they gave false details and disappeared.

                • vinni9284 on 22/06/2023 - 16:41

                  @JimmyF:

                  In the past on crapboxes I've found full comp to be around $100-150 extra to just 3rd party.

                  Not for me. It was 3 times the price. $180 -> $768 full comp with AAMI. Yes I can go and shop around and save … etc

                  Plus there are other cases that full comp covers that the $5k clause doesn't cover, like damage to the car via a drive off, stolen car etc or like what happened to the OP, they gave false details and disappeared

                  I've got 3rd party fire and theft & with the $5K uninsured cover.

                  I've got another car with full comp and it was hit and run. it still cost me $1K for excess to fix a $3K damage. Excess not a fault claim … and by the way, do you think I don't pay it back from my increased premium LOL

                  Honestly for the hassles it saves if something like what happened to the OP happens, it is well worth it.

                  Agree but I have more than one car so each to their own

  • randomusername2017 on 21/06/2023 - 20:58
    +1

    I am covered by third party + car behind me uninsured + car at the back = 3

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 21/06/2023 - 21:31
    +1

    I miss Muzeeb's MS Paint diagrams for these vehicle accident posts.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2023 - 21:32

      How would mysterious car #4 be represented? We have so little info to go on.

      • Protractor on 21/06/2023 - 21:36
        +2

        Car 1 hook
        Car 2 line
        Car 3 ………

  • Ryanek on 21/06/2023 - 22:44

    I am covered by third party

    That's one of the incentives of having comprehensive insurance. The insurance company handles all this.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2023 - 22:47
      +1

      That's not very helpful - OP cannot turn back time.

      What do you suggest they do under the given circumstances?

      • Ryanek on 22/06/2023 - 05:56
        +2

        You must be new here

  • cashless on 21/06/2023 - 23:52
    +1

    Sorry OP.
    Dashcam footage from your car 4 required before OzBargain can give its verdict.

  • kerfuffle on 22/06/2023 - 10:47
    +2

    Obligatory Reddit post

    • [Deactivated] on 22/06/2023 - 16:44

      lol - OP posted on reddit even after this one was shown to be full of holes.

      reddit username

  • Protractor on 22/06/2023 - 10:51
    -1

    https://tinyurl.com/TheOPsays

  • eciuj on 22/06/2023 - 15:43

    Plot twist: OP is the at fault driver and seeing how/if they can get away with it.

  • AndyC1 on 22/06/2023 - 18:45
    -1

    OP needs to figure out how to use his phone camera to ensure the details are not fake.

  • Aust on 24/06/2023 - 00:05

    Can you get the name of the company the vehicle is registered to?
    It’s then pretty simple sending them a letter of demand for damages to your car.

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