Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
U turns are legal, but some folks are saying the driver passing on the left was illegal. I have experienced this a couple of times. I will bet you daughter pulled off on the shoulder without signaling and then made a left turn (U turn) without signaling. So any driver coming up behind her would think she was pulling off on the shoulder to park, only to be surprised when she went into a left turn (U turn) as they were passing on the left. If the police were called, they would have given your daughter a ticket for an illegal turn.
A previous poster included a link on how to make a U turn. It even says clearly to use your left turn signal.
U turns are legal, but some folks are saying the driver passing on the left was illegal. I have experienced this a couple of times. I will bet you daughter pulled off on the shoulder without signaling and then made a left turn (U turn) without signaling. So any driver coming up behind her would think she was pulling off on the shoulder to park, only to be surprised when she went into a left turn (U turn) as they were passing on the left. If the police were called, they would have given your daughter a ticket for an illegal turn.
A previous poster included a link on how to make a U turn. It even says clearly to use your left turn signal.
I think you are exactly on the money here. That's what I envisioned too.
OP, good for you for deciding not to go back on your word with the other driver. Good for him for not pushing it and calling the police and making life worse for your daughter. Teens are stupid drivers which is why insurance is so high for them.
As for her damaged car, I would only fix what is absolutely necessary for her to drive legally. Let her save up and pay for the rest.
And please, please don't cancel her insurance until she has a policy in force. She might not find an affordable policy.
Weird coincidence...my 17 year old did the exact same thing! She whipped out a U turn in a stupid place...an intersection, and the person behind her assumed she was turning right and hit her. Her car was hit in the tail end, and the driver behind them both indicated that the second car could have stopped. Neither driver got a ticket.
Insurance companies both said 50% responsibility. We did not have my daughter's car repaired .
It did not occur to me to attempt to avoid reporting this to insurance.
3 months later? She and I were driving on the highway and she rear ended a truck. This time her car was totaled. She was all at fault....since she was going to college the following week...I simply declined to buy her another car. I used the insurance money to pay off her car and that is the end of that.
Her father is no longer paying child support so next time the car is on him. I told her she isn't getting another car until she gets a job (she declined to work this summer). He'll cave, because he can't say no to her.
IMHO, OP, you are stuck with plan A. You gave the other driver your word.
And yes, you and I both need to do more to instill a sense of responsibility in our daughters.
Before we get into the details of the terms you agreed upon for your daughter's "next accident", let's first let either law enforcement or the insurance companies determine fault.
Since I don't see any mention of law enforcement and it looks like you let the other driver fast talk you and skate out of having any amount of accountability BECAUSE HE WAS ALREADY INVOLVED IN ANOTHER ACCIDENT. Look at the common denominator here. What we do know of this guy's history is he gets in more accidents before his last one can even be settled. Red flag. Whether it turns out to be his fault or not, you HAVE to let insurance get involved just to keep tabs on him. When he bails and doesn't want to pay the $2500, or asks you to get 5 estimates on the car, you'll end up caving and eating the cost because "it's not worth it."And blaming someone whom may have gotten stuck by an at-fault driver.
But you'll never know. Because the only two sources who can legally determine fault (cops and the insurance company) were waived off as options for settling this matter. As a parent, you let your child's (I don't care if adult or not) rights slip away as a knee jerk reaction to a... well... jerk. Don't you DARE coerce someone into talking themselves out of using the insurance companies because you basically now just left her no option but to pay out of pocket or report it on her own insurance i.e. be at fault. Great job.
Is the damage just cosmetic/car still safe to drive? You could have her save up for the price of the repair until she has enough. Just paying it for her (and having her pay you back) doesn't really have a super strong impact imo. If it's just some scratches/dents (I know body work is $$$) make her drive it till she can pay to get it done... Because if you weren't able to fix it for her what would she do?
I'd leave her on your insurance, but she could start paying her part. That's what my parents did for my brother and myself. She sounds like a good kid, but you obviously want her to be a smart and safe driver.
I realized that was your decision. What I didn't write very clearly was that I hoped you had a conversation with her that in the future that is probably not the way to handle things. If no one turns it into insurance, even if you exchange info, it won't appear on the insurance.
A new teen driver rear-ended me.
I tried to play nice and not turn it to their insurance. The mother threw a fit at the cost of replacing my bumper and insisted it couldn't be that much. It was a Lexus, so yes, it was that much. After a few calls like that, I turned it in. That influences my thinking.
Both of my kids were in accidents while teens-one with a totaled car and some facial burns from the airbag, the other a minor incident in a parking lot. I know it's stressful when one gets that call.
A few years ago, a teenage driver sideswiped my husband's car and caused minor scratches from the front all the way to the back. Her car had similar damage. The accident was clearly her fault and she readily admitted it. The teenage driver was so worried that her parents would be upset if she got a traffic ticket that she was crying and almost hysterical in fear. My husband went into "Loving father mode" and while they exchanged names and addresses (and insurance information) he said that he wouldn't call the police or submit it to our insurance company.
Well, a few weeks later we heard from our insurance company that she/her parents had filed a claim against our insurance and said that the accident was completely my husband's fault. The details of the accident were completely wrong, from the time of the accident (the teen told my husband that she was "speeding and distracted" because she was "very late to pick up her sister from the airport" but told the insurance company that the accident happened an hour earlier than it actually did) to where it happened (a few miles off) AND (it appeared) that there was damage from a newer accident that they claimed was from the first accident.
We tried to contact the teen, or her parents, and discovered that they had changed their phone number AND moved from that address AND had changed insurance companies. What a mess! It took over a year to finally get it straightened out.
After that we decided not to be "nice guys" ever again.
Last edited by germaine2626; 10-05-2018 at 06:06 PM..
^^^ I had something similar happen a few years ago. I was the person at fault, though.
The light turned green and I pulled forward faster than the truck in front of me. I tapped his bumper (while traveling around 3mph if that). We pulled over and exchanged info. He agreed there was no damage to his car, but my bumper had a small crack behind the license plate. I took a couple of photos and left.
Several months later, I get a call from my insurance telling me the guy is claiming neck and back injuries from this accident!!! I almost fell off my chair laughing. Thankfully they rejected his claim and it was over.
^^^ I had something similar happen a few years ago. I was the person at fault, though.
The light turned green and I pulled forward faster than the truck in front of me. I tapped his bumper (while traveling around 3mph if that). We pulled over and exchanged info. He agreed there was no damage to his car, but my bumper had a small crack behind the license plate. I took a couple of photos and left.
Several months later, I get a call from my insurance telling me the guy is claiming neck and back injuries from this accident!!! I almost fell off my chair laughing. Thankfully they rejected his claim and it was over.
That happened to me 32 years ago. I was the driver stopped at the light when the car behind me slid into me.
Three days later, I did have neck and back troubles, many times it won't show up right away. The doctor said my sciatica nerve was damaged and I would have problems for life. Two years later I was able to find a chiropractor who fixed the problem. During that time I had periods where I couldn't turn my head.
So don't laugh, it may have been true. I never got the name of the person who hit me because I thought there wasn't any damage either.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What a mess! It took over a year to finally get it straightened out. 
