Failing To Stop And Report An Accident

One of the most serious driving offences that you can face is failing to stop at the scene of an accident. If you knew, or should have known, that a road traffic accident has taken place, you are legally obliged to stop and exchange details with the other driver.

If an accident occurs, regardless of whether or not you hold any blame for the accident, you must stop and swap details with the driver of the other vehicle. If nobody has been injured then you are not obliged to call the police, but if injury has occurred you must call the police as soon as reasonably possible. If you do not stop at the scene of the accident you have a duty to notify the police, in person, within 24 hours of the accident happening, of the occurrence of the accident.

This crime can carry a very hefty fine, licence endorsement and even a prison sentence. If you are convicted of failing to stop at the scene of an accident then you could face a fine of up to £5000 and/or and 6 month prison sentence and/or penalty points on your licence. You could even face disqualification from driving.

If you are charged with the offence of failing to stop and report an accident there is a small possibility that you may have a valid defence to the charge if you can prove that you genuinely did not know that the accident had occurred. The more minor the accident, and the less impact the collision had, the more likely you are to succeed with this defence. However, if the accident is anything more than a mere scrape you are unlikely to persuade a Judge that you were unaware that the accident had occurred.

If you are involved in an accident, no matter how minor it may appear, the best action to take is to safely pull over to the side of the road, out of harm’s way, and exchange details with other driver. Even if you are confident that no damage has been caused to either vehicle, if you have any doubt whatsoever you should avoid the risk of a heavy penalty by taking the time to stop and exchange details.

It is simply not worth risking a prison sentence or the loss of your licence because you do not feel the accident was significant enough to stop for.

If you have been charged with failing to stop and report an accident you should seek urgent and expert legal advice. Our specialist motoring offences team has many years experience of fighting for motorists and we specialise in keeping you out of the news.

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