[Jimbuffalo]

Scenario: Wife returns home and then notices a note under the windshield wiper. Another driver clipped her car in a parking lot, damaging the wheel, wheel well trim, front bumper. He left his contact info.

That stranger is now a friend...we've settled and he is paying for full repairs...

Question: What percentage of the driving public do you think would actually admit fault and take full responsibility?

 

[chrisw]

I have in the past when I rear ended someone. I was in college, didn't have insurance. In fact, I was on my way to renew the policy when I had the accident. I had to go to court for that accident. I paid for the damage to her car out of pocket and by the time I arrive to my court date, I had the proof of insurance along with all the receipts for the repairs.

the judge was impressed and dropped all charges after I pled guilty and submitted my evidence

honesty does pay, but that was financially painful...

 

[cukoodukoo]

I would, but then I believe in karma

You cant expect people to be nice to you if you dont act right .Teach by example.That nice act by your new friend will certainly encourage you to act the same in the future.The effect of his good deed is far reaching than it seems.

 

[ConservativeConsumer]

I’ll do it.

I had a similar accident as described by the OP couple of years ago with my boat trailer being damaged while I was out on lake fishing. There was MN DNR officer checking if folks do clean their rigs from weeds, etc. when leaving. He was the one who told me that responsible party left a note with phone number. Later on I’ve found out that phone number was not valid and the name left was also false. Oh, well, I pity such people because they punish their own conscience and their own spirit…

 

[noobytoogy]

We got a letter in the post one day.

The writer had dented the wing on my wife's Mercedes the week before when reversing out of a neighbour's driveway in the dark in the early hours of the morning and wanted to know how much she should pay for the repair.

It was only after reading the letter that I inspected the car and saw the ding!

From the angle we approached the car to get in it to drive away, the dent wasn't visible!!

 

[Jimbuffalo]

I would, but then I believe in karma

You cant expect people to be nice to you if you dont act right .Teach by example.That nice act by your new friend will certainly encourage you to act the same in the future.The effect of his good deed is far reaching than it seems.

Agreed In a way this thread is doing just that. I could not be angry over it since the gentleman admitted to the accident. I'd have been pissed if I discovered the damage on my own.

That said...

What % of drivers, who knowingly damage another's property, do you think would act with such integrity?

Sadly, I think the number is pretty low....

As an aside, he drives an Audi A4 and admired the Touareg quite a bit

 

[Eugene-Dave-1]

One time I was at Home Depot. Had a cart full of stuff. Cart got away from me while unloading and banged into the taillight of the adjacent car hard enough to break the lens. I left a note on the car. Turned out it was an elderly couple and they were very grateful that I had taken responsibility. Cost me about $200.

 

[Eugene-Dave-1]

you get honesty points $200…what kind of car?

This was a while ago but I think it was like a Toyota Camry.

I will admit that in that situation, it seems reasonable to assess the overall condition of the damaged vehicle when deciding whether to fess up. If it's already a wreck, I'd probably move on. In this case the owner clearly took good care of their car so I felt I needed to step up.

Someday I'll tell my story about my brand new Jetta TDI being struck by a softball-sized rock that fell out the back of an improperly loaded dump truck on the freeway...