Many women do not know what they should do in case someone hits their car and can easily be taken for a ride.
Women in general do not know much about cars. If cars do not interest you, that's fine. But you should make sure you know as much as possible about the car
you are driving. While you needn't have in-depth knowledge about all
the mechanical intricacies, you should certainly familiarize yourself
with the costs of the parts of the car so if someone bangs into your car
and breaks the rear lights, you know how much you should demand from
them. Get a general idea about what it takes to fix a dent, a broken
light, a damaged bumper etc. Cars have a beam running through them, and
if the beam breaks depending upon where the dent is, the cost
immediately jumps up.
If anyone bangs your car or hits anyone and speeds off, the first thing you should try and do is note down the car number. In addition to this, make a note of the kind of car it was and the colour.
If your car has been hit by another car and both cars stop, access the damage, again, note down the number and the car description, model number, etc. Most likely there will be a lot of blame thrown back and forth, but if your car was stationary when the other car hit you, you are naturally in the clear.
Demand that the person pay you some cash upfront. There is no reason why you should have to pay for someone else's fault.
If the person is not carrying any cash, ask him for his
business card. If he is not carrying his business card, get his
telephone and cell phone number. You can easily check if he has given you the correct cell phone number
by calling his cell immediately with your cell and seeing if it rings.
Be sure to get the number because if a policeman arrives on the scene
after the person has sped off, you can call him back immediately. The
cops can then settle the matter there and then by taking down his full
details and making sure you come to some kind of a financial
settlement. They can also check if the driver was drinking and driving.
Often people don't want the police to get involved because they don't
want to get into the hassle of filing a case and making rounds of the
courts. Rest assured that the police themselves will not encourage you
to file a report. Instead, they will encourage you to settle the matter
there and then amongst yourself.
If the party that has hit you does not want you to call
the police, it is likely that he knows he was at fault. If the accident
happens at night, he may have even had a drink or two. So if he tries
to push the blame on you and tells you that your insurance company will pay for the damage in any case and if he is trying to just finish of the argument and scram, do not allow yourself to get conned. Don't let him go unless he pays you some cash for the damage. Your insurance company
will in all likelihood not pay the entire amount of the damage, and you
would possibly have to pay a higher premium and will not be entitled to
a no-claim bonus. So get compensated by the guilty party.
