In short, I would say I am pretty expert in riding a motorcycle and of good character. I am currently riding a BMW R 1300 GS.
After a recent bike night, my wife texted me to pick up the obligatory bottle of wine, some dinner, and some king prawns for the cat (yes, you read that right). I duly did the shopping and loaded up the top box.
As I had ridden forwards into the parking space, I had to push the GS backwards to get out of the space. Unfortunately, as I was trying to manhandle the bike, I wobbled, and it partly fell on the car parked next to me. I managed to salvage the situation, and thankfully, did not drop the bike.
I had a quick look at the car. At worst, I’d caused a minor ding. However, it was a tatty old thing that had a few dents and scrapes in other places, so as no one was hurt, I decided to leave it and ride home. I never gave it another thought until I got a court summons in the post for failing to stop and report an accident.
I couldn’t believe it. Firstly, there was no real accident. No one was hurt, and if there was any damage, it was tiny. Apparently someone saw me fall into the car and took a video with their phone. They then went into the supermarket and found the owner. In addition, the supermarket captured the incident on their CCTV.
I can’t believe the police would waste their time on such a trivial matter. I am inclined to defend this. As stated above, I have a huge amount of experience in riding bikes, and I am of good character. I am inclined to think the magistrates will agree with me and throw the case out as the police are clearly wasting time and the car driver is trying to get a big pay out. Do you agree?
Charles
Answer
In short, no, I do not agree. Let me explain why. Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 there is an absolute duty for a rider or driver involved in an accident that causes injury to a person or animal, or damage to another vehicle or property, even if it is very small, to stop at the scene. Details then need to be exchanged, like your name, address, and insurance information, with the other applicable person if they are there, or can be found.
In this case, you should have given these details to the owner of the car you damaged. If you were unable to find them, then the law basically states you should have reported it to the police within 24 hours of the accident happening. Being an advanced rider won’t help, I’m afraid, as you fell over on a car and damaged it, and then rode off.
The likelihood is you will get five or six penalty points, a fine, and court costs to pay. However, people often do not realise that in very serious cases the court has the power to order an offender to do unpaid community work, disqualify them from riding or driving, and even send someone to prison for up to six months.
Lastly, being summoned to the criminal court will not result in the car driver getting a big pay out. However, you are liable to pay for the damage you caused, so you may be hearing about this directly, or from your insurer.
Andrew Prendergast
Adventure Bike Rider – Jul / Aug 2026
