Parking on the street is a common occurrence in Australia. Whether you need to visit a busy shopping precinct and the car park is full, or you live on a property with only one garage but more than one vehicle, you could regularly find yourself parking in the street. But what happens when someone reverses out of their driveway and slams into your parked vehicle? Or if someone misjudges their distance to your vehicle and sideswipes or rear-ends it?
My Car Was Hit While Parked On The Street
When you park on the street, there are some rules that you need to follow. Always pay attention to the road signs and the amount of time they specify you’re allowed to be parked in a space. If you’re parallel parking, your vehicle needs to be facing the same direction as moving traffic on the road. If you’re angle parking, make sure your vehicle is at the correct angle to the curb that the signs or road markings indicate. Pay attention to no stopping and no parking signs and make sure to follow them.
However, sometimes accidents happen even when you follow the rules. In areas where cars are parallel parked on both sides of the road, making the road narrow for passing cars, it’s not difficult to see how your parked car may be sideswiped, dented, or scratched. We’ve already taken you through how to determine fault in a parking lot accident but if your car is hit while parked on the street, more often than not, the driver who hit your car will be at fault.
What To Do When Someone Hits Your Parked Car
If you’re in the vicinity of your car and you see the driver who hits your parked car, they legally need to stop and exchange information with you. Make sure you take down their personal details as well as their insurance details.
However, if the driver who hits your car doesn’t stop or if your car is hit while parked unattended, you’ll be faced with a hit and run situation. In this instance, call the police so that they can attend the accident scene and assist you.
Check if you are able to find any witnesses to the accident – perhaps a pedestrian or someone who saw what happened from one of the nearby shops or houses. Also see if you can get CCTV footage of what happened.
Someone Hit My Parked Car And Left A Note
If your car was hit while parked unattended, the best outcome you can hope for is the at fault driver leaving a note with their contact and insurance details on your windscreen. You may also be fortunate enough for a witness (perhaps a pedestrian or another driver) to have seen the accident and to have collected the at fault driver’s details on your behalf. If you do find a note on your windscreen, be sure to follow up with the at fault driver and their insurer.
Someone Hit My Parked Car And I Have No Insurance
If your parked car has been damaged and requires repairs, you may be left without a way to get around through no fault of your own. As long as you’re eligible, Right2Drive may be able to assist you with a like-for-like accident replacement vehicle for the entire duration of your repairs – at no cost to you. This is still the case even if you don’t have insurance of your own, as long as you meet our eligibility criteria.
