I went out for a pleasure ride at the weekend and stopped for a coffee. When I came back to my bike it had been knocked over! I was furious.
The other driver didn’t stop and left the scene. I have reported it to the police and am waiting for a response, but what could happen?
Answer
What a nightmare. The other driver is in a little bit of trouble, first of all they are likely guilty of Careless Driving. That is to say, their driving has fallen below the standard of a careful and competent driver. There is proof of this in the fact that they managed to knock over your pride and joy. If guilty of this then they can expect to have their licence endorsed with 3 to 9 points.
As to the failure to stop/report, this is more serious than Careless Driving. If you were not around to exchange details with, then they should have gone straight to the police station (and in any event in no more than 24 hours from the accident) and passed their details to the police. If they have done this, the police will in effect exchange information when you turn up to report the hit and run. If they’ve done this, then they haven’t committed a further offence. However, if they didn’t then they can expect 5 to 10 points, or if the court is especially grumpy, they can disqualify the driver for 6 to 12 months. This is why it is a more serious offence.
First things first, the driver can expect a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) to drop through their letter box. The purpose of this is to identify the driver. I hope that the driver does ID themselves, otherwise what I have said above might not come to fruition. Instead, the registered keeper would be guilty of failing to identify the driver and this carries with it 6 points and up to a £1,000.00 fine. This seems like a bit of a cop-out, but it is the way the law operates. I highly doubt the police have the time or the resources to go and investigate the driver further, they will just rely on what they get back in the post after the NIP. I hope this matter gets resolved and you get your bike back on the road to enjoy this glorious weather.
Gavin Grewal
Fast Bikes September 2026
