Assuming this is true, is this why she did it. . . to use the law to avoid responsibility knowing that if your wife took responsibility for the actions of your daughter, then she would be liable?
Forgetting the law for a second, what’s the right thing to do? Was this done? In what way?
From my perspective at this point, I’m a little surprised that you’re using the law to avoid responsibility. . . that seems contra to its intent, IMO.
Out here in CA, the Police don’t want you to call for *any *simple fender bender. If all parties have insurance, no one is drunk, no one is seriously hurt and both cars can get off the highway- please do not bother the very very busy Police with your little civil squabbles.
Yeah, I know- you think they are going to “fill out an accident report” which will clearly state that the accident was the other dudes fault. :rolleyes: No, the did not witness your accident. Although they do have detectives and forensic experts who can work a accident scene, generally someone has to be dead first. They will take a statement from both parties, after you wait for a very long time.
In general, no. I am not aware of a state that does not follow the ‘insurance follows the car’ rule. The liability insurance you purchase covers your car. In most personal auto policies coverage is bound to the car, not the person. Commercial auto policies can have coverage for employees driving non-owned autos but I don’t think that is the case here. In general when you drive a friends car the coverage on that car is what applies should you get into an accident. In this instance the liability insurance that would apply would have been the policy that Rent-a-Wreck had on the car.
That “coverage” the car rental places want you to by covers any damage to the rental car. I never buy it because my own auto policy has coverage for any damage to cars I rent. The odd wording is deliberate. You are responsible for returning a rental car to the company in the condition you rented it. So if the car is stolen you can be liable for the cost of the car. Again the rules vary by state and car rental contract.
Thanks all.
I asked your your opinions, and that’s certainly what I got! 
I was really curious about this, so I went onto my insurance website, and it says:
(bolding mine) Now, I live in NY, but Geico is nationwide. So I guess there it is - call them and they’ll let you know if they need to come out. I guess I can see the only reason it’s necessary is if one of the drivers is not cooperating.
In CA, even if you can get an officer to respond to a PLD (Parking Lot Ding), his report will not be used. At least, not by AAA. He’d have to have been an eye witness.
Having said that, I was rear ended last week. I did not exchange info with the other driver. I drive a 42 year old truck, and cannot even get an estimate from a body shop, due to the advanced age of my vehicle. This also holds true for trying to buy replacement parts, as well as simple things like getting an oil change. The truck is too old for getting services that most of you folks driving newer vehicles take for granted.
The rear bumper is made of 1/8 inch steel, and was slightly raised on the right hand side. No dents, scuffs, or scratches. The other driver had some scuffing on his front end, along with several small-sized dents. He agreed that my damage was minor at the least ("Hell, you don’t even have a scratch!), and that as he was at fault, he’d have to cover his own repairs out of pocket.
YMMV.
Yes, but that isn’t CA (in some states you have to call the police). Yes, I suppose a call to the NON-emergency number is OK, just to make sure, but “accident reports” are handled through the DMV and your Insurance co here in CA.
But unless the vehicles can’t be moved off the highway, orthere is an injury or hit and run, do not call 911.
There was an article today in the San Jose Mercury News about fireworks, which showed that the SJPD weren’t making many illegal fireworks arrests, and the PD responded: "Do you want an officer stopping to talk to kids about firework when they are going to a “shots fired” call? said San Jose Police Sgt Nick Munyo… “Crimes of violence take precedence, property crimes come after that”. So think about a rountine fender bender, where no crime at all has been commited, think of how low priority and unhappy the PD is going to be to get that call.
Add me to the list who think your wife handled it wrong.
If I were your daughter, I’d be wondering what the fucking hell kind of mother tries to palm something off like that on her kid. What if the other driver had said to your daughter, “Okay, then, YOU give me your license - get it out now please - and I’ll just call the police now too.” If that happened to me when I was 15 - and my mother had just told this person it was just fine to demand this of me - I probably would have blubbered, had my heart rate go through the roof, and then started crying. And then I’d not speak to my mother for a year.
That was a really, really terrible thing she did to a kid.
My auto insurance covers me when driving a rental car. I have State Farm.
I have two stories and am late to the thread so I don’t even know if they are relevant but here goes.
I was walking up to my car and saw and heard the woman open her car door into mine - pretty hard.
She looked at me and said nothing. I was stunned into silence for a moment, then went into the restaurant and said to her, “When you opened your door, you hit my car.”
she said, no she didn’t
I replied I had seen her do it. She kept denying and refused to come and see the dent.
Fine. I took out my digital camera (just so happened to have it with me) and snapped some pics and took her number.
Insurance went after her and they are -paying for the repair.
I wouldn’t have bothered if she had just had the decency to say something to me in the first place.
My second story was my four year old was getting into the car after church and the wind took the door out of her hand. It hit and dented the car beside me.
Because my church ran two services back to back I waited a few minutes to see if they were coming/going. No one came out. I could’ve left but what wouold that have taught my daughter?
I took a piece of paper from the car and make a note explaining what had happened and my phone number and name. I carefully stuck it under the wiper.
I never heard anything, but my daughter learned that you need to be careful.
I’m late into this thread too but I have to add my nay to the OP as well. I don’t know what’s happening to people today that they won’t take fault for anything.
About 3 weeks ago I saw a chick try to pull into a tight parking spot. She couldn’t get in without scraping the side of the car on her right (driver’s side). So she pulled back out and took off. I jotted down her license plate# and left a note for the driver of the scraped car along with my phone #.
And last week for the first time ever, I tapped a car lightly and made a small dent while parking. The woman was walking towards her car and saw me. I immediately got out and apologized profusely. She told me not to worry about it and didn’t even take my info! I guess that’s what being decent gets you , what a sweety she was.