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People sometimes "bump" cars when parallel parking... it happenes. But if you bumped a car and nicked their bumper a bit, are you legally responsible for contacting the person and paying for the knick?
What do you think?
uh, yeah. i would be TICKED if someone "bumped" my car from parallel parking. to me, a "bump" is a "hit" if it leaves any kind of mark!
Yes. While some bumps don't leave a noticable blemish, it will lead to spiderwebbed paint. You should leave your info.
Yeah. I don't know about legally -- I would assume that yes, you legally have to. Either way, I think it would be really unethical not to.
Did you do a bump-and-run, or are you just curious?
ETA: After reading the other comments, I feel I need to add that I do NOT live in a big city or crowded area, and I rarely have to parallel park. I can't say for sure about the ethics of 'bumping' in the city.
Uhm, I'm able to parallel park without hitting anything. I expect others to do the same. A little tiny accidental bump is no big deal, but if it leaves a mark that's a problem. I don't know about legally, but ethically if you hit someone's car you should leave your info.
ETA: If you leave a mark on an unattended car, I'm pretty sure that counts as a hit and run. I lived in Montreal city most of my life and not myself, nor my friends, nor my parents ever routinely bumped other cars while parallel parking. If I can't fit in to a spot, I park farther away and walk.
@kelly105: I have not "bumped" anyone while doing this..but if there was no damage then I personally wouldnt bother. I mean, if theres nothing noticeable what are they going to say? "Oh you hit my car but theres no damage..so bye."
@kittybean: You obviously don't live in a city. people bump cars when parallel parking all the time. That is why this is such a grey are for me.
I mean, that's why it's called a bumper?
I dont know legally what the case is, but if someone hit my car I would be so pissed. I would want them to contact me and if it were me I would contact them.
In my neighborhood, if you don't get home from work before 5pm, you're not going to get a parking spot within 4 blocks of your house. If there is a parking spot that you can fit in, you do it - even if it means tapping other cars.
My old driver self would have said "Eh, whatever." But someone backed into my car at the movies and completely smashed in the right side on my bumper and didn't leave a note and that sucked. But then if there's no damage at all and you leave your info, they could try to squeeze money out of you to "avoid going through the insurance companies" as a friend of mine found out the hard way. She tapped a guy's car parking and left a note with her info, the guy's wife called back and said "Just cut us a check." They wanted $400 bucks and there was barely a scratch on it. She gave them the money to make it go away but questioned whether it was worth it. I think she did the right thing, but honestly it could have probably been buffed out with a rag.
Anyway, guys. I'm not really trying to defend myself and my opinion... I'm just trying to see what the general public thinks about this situation.
It seems like everyone here would be super pissed if their car got tapped. My car gets tapped so often, I just ignore the nicks now. I just accepted that I live in the city and it's going to happend.
I would expect someone to leave their contact information if there was an obvious blemish or bump and vice versa for myself!
@KatyElle: Yeah, I have a similar situation. I gave the woman my phone number and told her I would take care of it. But if she comes at me with a $400 bill I will get my insurance company involved. I mean, my FI got his entire bumper replaced for $500!
Getting bumped is to be expected in the city. I'm from a small town in NC where it never really happened, but when I moved to Philadelphia, I realized that this would be a risk simply from owning a car in a city where street parking is the standard in most neighborhoods.
Oh, and don't let me get started on the number of times that my side mirror has been knocked off when I park on a narrow street! I have to keep hy-poxy on hand just to be prepared for the days when I walk to my car and the mirror is just hanging by the electrical cord. I drive an older ford focus and can't fold in the side mirrors :-/
FI got in a fender bender with a BMW and apparently it had REALLY expensive paint. The bill was about $300 for this tiny patch. The guy wasn't pulling his leg either -- he saw the bill.
Pretty sure here in Richmond, you can get in trouble if someone sees you and reports you for bumping a car. Even if it was no damage. You never know what happened inside the bumper.
Where I live and park, if you park on the street you can expect to be bumped. Only if there is visible damage would I leave info.
where i live if you bump someone, you get out to see if you were spotted, if not oh well, carry on. oh well i'm english that my excuse lol...
.... i've never actually done this ... however i did clip someones wing mirror once, and took mine off completely, i was late for work so didn't stop, i checked his car on my way home... no damage done oh well....
I'm surprised at you girls saying it's okay to bump a car in the city. I live in a city of over a million people, and came from a city of over 3 million and NEVER have I encountered bumping a car while parallel parking. I've never seen anyone hit a car nor have I hit a car while parking. Maybe it's different in the states, but in Canada, I'm pretty sure people don't do it, regardless if they live in the country, burbs or city.
ETA: In Spain, I did notice that this was acceptable. We were shocked when we saw it happen the first time, but when we kept seeing it happen, we realized it was the norm.
living in seattle, i see it all the time. i may have done it once or twice (no visible mark) and its happened to me a couple times too (i always check my car when i get back to it if its parked on the street). i have noticed small scratces and bumps, i chalk it up to living in the big city.
i have had a hit and run accident with $6k worth of damage happen to me while my car was parked outside my apt. and i had only had my car for a month. that was not fun. but again, its part of living in the city, unfortunately.
@Pecan Pie: What is this hypoxy stuff you are talking about, how well does it work, and where do you get it? I have a dangling mirror right now from a stupid mistake I made trying to negotiate the space between my husband's car, and the other side of the garage. I tried duct-taping my mirror up, but it starts to sag mid-way through my trip.
As for the hit-and-run issue, yeah-- if you are parallel parking and bump a car, it is your legal responsibility to mitigate the damages you left. The owner of the vehicle is entitled to have his/ her property restored to the condition it was in before the errant driver came along and carelessly damaged it. I worked in claims for many years, and can tell you this is the law in my state, and is pretty standard across the country.
OF COURSE you are would you be impressed if someone did this to you???
After having to parallel park at work almost every day for 5+ years from living/working in Boston... its going to happen. I've maybe done it once or twice, but only because where I work, you have to park on the wrong side of the road up a hill and sometimes backing in, you may slip a little.
However! There was one day this past spring where I was sitting in my car, waiting for the person ahead of me to pull out and they "bumped" me a few times while they were attempting to pull out. I watched him the whole time too. I didn't have any damage, but I thought it was not interesting per say, but something like that that instead of asking me to move a bit, he chose to ignore me (and he saw me in my car) and just "bumped" me in his attempt to get out of him spot.
@kelly105: Yes, you're responsible for it. It's happened to me before. No note, no nothing. I couldn't afford to fix it myself. It's the most horrible feeling walking out to your car and seeing scrapes and dents.
I think it happens all of the time, and nobody ever knows about it...personally, if someone bumped my car on accident, I wouldn't care. If they left me their information, and there was some paint missing, or even a little ding, I wouldn't do anything other then maybe call and thank them for their honesty...when ya think about it....what are "bumpers" for anyways?
Yes you are legally responsible if you bump someone else's car. You're supposed to leave a note with your information. I have had my car dinged and scratched quite a few times living in an apartment complex and not once has anyone left their info and yes it really upsets me and they are supposed to. If I bumped someone's car I would leave my info and expect my insurance to cover any damage, that's what I pay them for.
I live in a city, and I would leave a note if I bumped a car because I'm under the impression that it would otherwise be a hit-and-run, no matter how minor the damage. Is this actually true?
Now I'm wondering: what about accidental door dings? Or an unwiedly shopping cart? Do you leave a note in those situations? Do you have to, legally?
Bumpers are actually designed for a purpose other than people dinging them up trying to park. They take on the energy from actual crashes and soften the collision so to speak. So yes someone denting my bumper and not reporting it is an issue bc it hurts the integrity of the bumper and what it is used for. And besides you are legally responsible to report it, morally is your choice.
Of couse! I don't parallel park anymore but I have gotten so many scratches on my doors lately from people hitting them with their doors and shopping carts and my husband gets mad at me because he thinks I do it.
Once when my husband was at work at Circuit City, someone ran over the front of his car. The woman was about to run away without leaving a note or anything but thankfully one of his coworkers was in the parking lot working on his car.
Whether it's a ding or running over the front of a car, you should leave a note or wait for the owner if they want you to repair it.
I live in a small city, still a city though, and you can bet that if you bumped someone's car you'd get someflak! No one EXPECTS to get their car bumped! To me, if you're bumping a car, you're not a good parker. The half an inch extra you gain from bumping a car versus not bumping it is NOT helping you get your car in the space!
Interesting to see how vastly the opinions differ based on where you live! Good to know if I ever rent a car in Baltimore, lol.
All that being said, if I DID tap someone's bumper, I'd only leave a note if there was visible damage.
@MissGreen: Actually, bumpers serve no purpose but to look nice, the reinforcement underneath is what absorbs the shock. Whether there is a bumper there or not won't matter. That is, for the ones that are just made out of plastic. The rubber and metal ones actually do absorb some shock
@kelly105: Living in MD, and having to drive to college in the city a few times a week (graduated now, but had to do it for 4 lovely years, in rush hour traffic cuz I was a night student), I will say that even though legally you should leave a note, most people do not. One thing I will say, if you get out and there is no damage you can see, a note is not needed. But, if you do a little damage, and leave a note, make sure you take pictures of both cars, plus a picture of the damage to both cars (if there is to both cars). That way, you cant be ripped off as easily
No. That is a given in city living. ALL the bumpers are all knicked up arleady. You cant expect your bumper to look good if you decide to live and park in the city.
I also live in Richmond. These bumps are commonly referred to as "Fan Taps".
I'm guilty of tapping a car, not causing any damage and then not leaving a note...why leave a note if you didn't leave a mark? I have a few dings on my car and I just brush it off as part of living in the city.
@kelly105:No. IN the city, I have been bumped too many times to bother about a few dents in my bumper. I have only hit someone while parking once and did not leave any scratches, but if I did, I wouldn't leave any info. It wouldn't be worth it to the other person.
*by "the" city, I actually just mean any of the many many cities I have lived in.
PS Once, in NYC I saw a car violently bump the car behind, then the car in front to the point where both car alarms went off! The driver ditched the parking spot and drove away. I thought it was hilarious and my husband was furious. The cars were not damamged, and also were not ours.
*** ETA I learned to park in San Francisco. Usually there was only 1-5 inches on each side of the car in that space. Now, other places I've lived there is plenty of space to parallel park, but in SF, you can only imagine you pretty much will bump someone eventually, regaradless of your parking skill! Especially after you curb your wheels and put on your parking brake and then you car still slides another 2inches down the hill.
I live in NYC. I have never bumped another car while parallel parking (and I street parked every day for 3 years). I would be REALLY pissed if someone bumped me and didn't leave a note. If you can't get into the spot without hitting other cars, then you shouldn't park there.
Living in a crowded city does not give you a right to willfully damage other people's property!
From a family that builds cars and have an auto shop, I can assure you there is more purpose than to look nice. So if you have no front bumper and someone backs into you, what's there to stop the car from damaging your headlights, hood etc?
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