Where your motor vehicle has been involved in an incident resulting in damage to another person or another person’s property you must stop and provide your full details to the injured party and or the owner of the damaged vehicle. If you are the owner of a vehicle then you must supply your name and address. If you are simply the driver then you must supply the name and address of the owner of the vehicle you were using. You are not required by law to supply your insurance details at this stage.

The law is strict when it comes to the provision of details. For example, if you clip a stationary motor vehicle as you reverse into or out of a parking space and cause even the slightest of damage then you must stop and leave your details.

If another individual suffers actual injury as a result of an incident involving your vehicle then you have a duty to report the matter to the police ‘as soon as reasonably practicable’. In such circumstances you will almost certainly be required to supply your insurance details.

These duties apply regardless of whether you were actually at fault in respect of the accident.

We are often asked whether one is required by law to inform your insurance company of your involvement in an accident. There is no such requirement however a failure to do so could result in your insurers refusing to indemnify you.

This sort of offence is regarded as being very serious by the courts. In can, in theory, result in an immediate ban from driving being imposed by the courts. In extremely serious cases (such as where an injured party has been left for dead) it can result in the imposition of a custodial sentence.

There is a defence to a charge of failing to supply details to another driver in the event of damage or to the police in the event of injury.

If the court is satisfied that you were genuinely unaware of an incident then you have a potential defence and should not be convicted for failing to stop and failing to report.

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