Failure to Stop / Failure to Report an Accident
The offences of failure to stop and failure to report an accident are serious and can attract penalties of up to 10 penalty points and disqualification from driving.
You may also receive a fine of up to £5000 and in serious cases, possible imprisonment of up to 6 months.
Failure to Stop
Failure to stop is when an accident involving a vehicle has occurred and the owner of the vehicle fails to stop at the scene, and when he or she is required to do so, does not exchange or provide their details.
The driver of the vehicle need only stop if he knows or should have known that a road traffic accident has taken place.
In some cases it can be possible that the driver was unaware that an accident had taken place, and this could be used as a possible defence against the charges.
Failure to Report an Accident
Failure to report an accident happens when a driver does not report an accident they were involved in within 24 hours to the police.
This requirement only exists if the motorist did not stop at the time and exchange relevant details with the other motorist involved in the accident.
Reporting an accident to the Police must be done in person and cannot be done by telephone.
If you are arrested or charged with failure to stop or failure to report an accident, please contact us at your earliest opportunity.
Legal Advice and assistance in a Police Station is free of charge. We recommend that you say nothing to the Police until you have spoken directly with us.
We have a 24-hour emergency advice line so that we can respond immediately to your situation. Our 24 hour number is 07850 012 366.
