(Car thread again) Whoops, wrong gear...

[James S]

[David Horn]

[fullerlee]

You don't have to have insurance in California, you just need to have proof that if something does happen, you have the means to pay for the costs. (So I did learn something in traffic school after all.)

From my experience here, people drive without insurance all the time, something which would rarely be risked in the UK (at least among the people I know).

By the way Warren, sorry about your incident.

[Warren]

Insurance is required in Massachusetts, and up to only a few years ago, it was NOT required in Rhode Island, so that's one example (that's not useful anymore).

It would have been sooo much better if they just said sorry, we offered to pay half, $75, but no, they had to be complete assholes about it. After I wrote the message above, the father of the kid who hit me came to our house. He is SOOOO stupid! First of all, he claimed that I'm a "stupid maniac", and based soley on his opinion of me, that I should automaticly be blamed 100%. Umm, I doubt he knows that his son likes to do doughnuts in the parking lot at school with his mom's car.... Then he claimed that we said we contacted a lawyer was going to sue them, a complete blatant lie, we yelled at him for saying such a thing, but he got all bitchy and kept saying that we're a corrupt family of liars!!!! He went on blabbering that I was all my fault, and that I'm irresponcible and stupid. Then he went on claiming that there's damage to his suspension!! Then he claimed that he just payed $8000 to have his car repaired for an accident a few months ago...umm...it's a 1992 Volvo, you can buy one for HALF OF THAT!!!! Another lie... Then what REALLY made me fucking pissed off is that he said that I was lying when I said that I was the one that got out of the car and went to yell at his son!! He said that I was the one that was afraid, that his son was the one that got out, and that I allegedly spun off into the street and left the scene of the accident. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing, sooo many lies!! Then he said in the most arrogent voice "so, it is impossible that you rolled back at all?", I said it's possible, but that I know I didn't, then he went on saying that I'm lying because I'm an irresponcible teenager. Finally, he said that he will not pay anything, and that the only choice is to go to court.

So, today at school, EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE ran to me with condolences, and EVERYONE said that they saw it, and that it's obviously his fault entirely. So I don't know, I hate it that I lost to a family of insane lunatics. And now this $150 will come out of my pocket. I saw the kid today, and he was like "you rolled back", of course I did...and yet at the accident, he admitted that he hit me.... So, I don't know, I just wish that if I were to be rear ended, it would have been from a sane person, I mean, ANYONE else would have been kissing my feet apologizing, not arguing that I'm a "stupid irresponcible maniac".

[David Horn]

Well, most police cars in the UK now have sophisticated number plate readers that automagically query every number plate they see with a central database to check for insurance, tax, MOT and whether the car is reported as stolen or an insurance write-off.

It's kind of cool, but now the police can't go anywhere without pulling people over all the time. Never stopped me, though, cause all my stuff's in order.

[James S]

Warren that's incredibly lame. Even if you rolled back it would still be their fault, that's the law, that's the way it works. So it doesn't even matter if their fictitious story could work or not, because it's still their son's fault.

And you know that jackass kid went home and told his parents absolutely the opposite of what happened, so don't blame his parents. They were lied to, you shouldn't have blown up at him when he came over, though, that just made it worse. NEVER yell at anyone, even if they're yelling at you. Just stand their, unblinking, with your hands on your waist or something like you don't care, that's how you get back at people that like to yell.

Anyway, just talk to the kid, tell him that he shouldn't have lied to his parents, that he admitted on the scene that it was his fault, and that you've got a plethora of witnesses to that fact, tell him nicely that he just needs to stop the charade, tell his parents the truth, and then walk away from him. Don't mention that he can't win in court, the mention of the word "court" or "lawyer/attorney" just makes people hostile. Just be calm, tell him that he needs to be honest with his parents; that you offered to split the fee of the damage with them to try to be nice, but with all this garbage his lack of honesty is making everyone go through that the hassle going to cost him much more than the $75 that you offered.

[Warren]

James, you weren't there. When the father came, he just started yelling right away. Even though the kid obviously lied to his parents, his parents then made even more lies to cover their asses. The thing about us wanting to sue them???? Total lie. A damaged suspension?? Lie. These people are too unreasonable James, seriously, there is NO way to make a deal, they said that, many times. I am blaming his parents too, for teaching him that the way to get out of a situation is to not take responcibility, and to go way overboard to blame someone else. And I did the "unblinking" thing, didn't work, not with the raving lunatic spitting lies at us, then going on about how we're lying! I mean, god, the first thing he did was go to the car and say "yeah, the depression angle of the indents clearly shows that your son accelerated in a backwards direction, entirely his fault". It's just sick, these kinds of people.

[James S]

[Warren]

[Cameron]

[eminefes]

[nicodemus]

[James S]

That's not from Home Alone It might have been IN Home Alone, but please do not associate that with Home Alone! Oi!

[Cameron]

It was a John Wayne film wasn't it? The one where he gets the school boys to work for him hearding cattle because his normal help is panning for gold.

[James S]

Thank you, Cameron. You get a slice of cheese.